Frank Salad

We have adopted the name Frank Salad in our family because my husband introduced this wonderful salad to my family. Well the truth is Mimi Joyce is the real brains of the operation. He used to eat it every week at his best friend's mother's house after they played tennis. I learned from Joyce that the basics of the salad are Romaine Lettuce, Walnuts, and Mandarin Oranges. Anything else you want to add is optional. At my house we put those three things and feta cheese. Sunday evening Joyce added blueberries and strawberries to hers for a little color. The true secret of the salad is the dressing. You mix one part Girard's Champagne salad dressing with one part of poppyseed dressing. Girard's comes in a triangular shaped bottle and I think Kroger has it. That is a MUST. You can use any poppyseed dressing available. You put that dressing combo on dog poo and I might eat it!

It is a fun addition to any meal. So add your favorite ingredients and douse it with that dressing, then you too can have a salad named after you.

Here is "Mimi" Joyce modeling her version. Can you believe she is 83?

Have a great weekend everyone.

Luv you! Mean it!
Nee Nee

Harlequin Kitchen

You may remember a small art niche that I featured recently. Well, I went back and did a larger niche which really tied it all together nicely. Harlequin on this scale is pretty difficult to master. The easiest way to do it is by using a chalk line. This is a string that is covered in a chalk powder. After you decide the size diamonds that you want, you can mark off your measurements and then pop the chalk string on the wall. This will make your lines nice and strait. Then you must tape it off. Here is the result.

Make it a great Wednesday!

XOXXO
Née Née

Buffalo Hunting

Tonight after work I went buffalo hunting. Got me a good one too!

Luv ya,
Née Née

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I have a friend named Linda, that is a fabulous cook.  She is Italian so of course she ROCKS the meatball, but she can cook anything.  She catered my nieces wedding shower

Beautiful layout for my nieces wedding shower catered by Linda

...and I have eaten her food on a number of occasions.  She participated in cook off's and contests regularly, so I guess you could say, she is an award winning cook!  I asked her to share a couple of recipes with me, and this is the first.  Let me start by saying, I LOVE stuffed bell peppers.  She said you can fix this dish in a relatively short amount of time, and the good thing about it is that you can serve two-four guests easily.

Let me also say....I tried to pry her meatball recipe out of her, but it is a family secret.  She has catered several parties I have attended, and there have NEVER been any left over meatballs!

This is an actual photo she took with her phone.  This is what she served her husband for lunch!  YUMMY!

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

 1 ½ LBS OF GROUND BEEF

4 BELL PEPPERS (GREEN OR COLORED)

½ CUP CHOPPED ONION

1 SMALL CAN MUSHROOMS (OPTIONAL)

4 SERVINGS OF COOKED WHITE OR BROWN RICE

1 LGE CAN DICED TOMATO WITH JUICE

1 SM CAN OF TOMATO SAUCE

1 CUP SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE

TOPS OF BELL PEPPERS CLEANED AND CHOPPED

CUT THE TOPS OF THE PEPPERS RESERVING THEM. CLEAN PEPPERS REMOVING VEINS AND SEEDS. REMOVE STEM AND CHOP TOPS. PLACE PEPPERS INTO A POT OF WATER TO BOIL UNTIL TENDER.

FRY MEAT WITH SALT, PEPPER, ONIONS AND CHOPPED BELL PEPPERS USING AS MUCH AS YOU WISH. DRAIN IF NEEDED.  ADD DICED TOMATOES AND SAUCE.  STIR IN RICE AND MUSHROOMS.  ARRANGE STANDING PEPPERS IN BAKING DISH THAT HAS BEEN SPRAYED WITH PAM. FILL COMPLETELY PUTTING THE EXCESS RICE MIXTURE AROUND PEPPERS.

TOP WITH CHEDDAR CHEESE, COVER AND BAKE FOR 45-60 MINUTES ON 350DEGREES. 

Thanks, Linda.  

Luvyameanit!

Nee' Nee'

Vampire Valentine

This may be my all time favorite Valentine that I have ever received! Let me start by saying that I ADORE vampires. My mother and I have a standing date to go see all of the Twilight movies when they come out. That being said, you can understand why I was so completely tickled when I checked my mailbox and found the below card in it. Thank you, Mama! I love you!

Mirrored Vodka Bottle

My niece, Maycee, is somewhat of a "card".  I am showing you this picture, as a craft project, but it is pretty darn funny too.

This is her cat, Lola.  What I want you to look at, is the crafty little vodka bottle.  You can buy these mirrored tiles at Michael's, and you just have to glue them on.  Isn't that cute?

I also this was an appropriate Friday blog!  Lola says, It's five o'clock somewhere!

Have a great weekend!
Nee' Nee'

More Painted Wine Glasses

I absolutely LOVE to paint wine glasses ! I am constantly inspired by things I see around me, so I collect jewels and ideas all year long. I paint them for gifts and events that come up throughout the year. If I am in a creative rut, picking up a wineglass to paint, seems to get my creative motor started.

These are my latest glasses. I hope you can draw inspiration for your own projects from this. Get your motor running!

Luvyameanit!
Née Née

Create Your Own Art

It might surprise you to know, that you don't have to know how to freehand to create art.  I always wondered how the "real" artists do large scale murals,and I learned that they sometimes trace the items onto a surface so they don't have to worry about scale.  This cuts down on the time, especially when working on a tedious project.  Another trick they use, is to create the artwork on canvas, and then install the pieces like wallpaper.  This particular project is a cross between the two.  These are canvas panels, that are being used in a den above a couch as artwork.

First I went to Jerry's Artarama to purchase the canvas.  They have a variety of shapes and sizes, so I like to shop there!

I base coated the canvases with Annie Sloan's chalk paint, Old Ochre.  I then troweled on some joint compound for texture.

The next steps were just a series of layering different paints with a trowel.  The colors used here are Annie Sloan's Emperor's Silk, and Primer Red. 

I let the layers dry in between coats.  I took a stencil and used Old Ochre to apply the pattern.  I then used the Annie Sloan soft wax in dark for sealer and to add depth.  After that, I added some Iridescent Gold and Antique Bronze from Modern Masters to highlight and low light the scroll work.

I am very happy with the results.  These are going to look GREAT above the couch I designed them for.

Create some art of your own today!  It is super fun!

Have a wonderful "hump" day! 

XOXXO

Nee' Nee'

Happy Valentines Day

I don't have any neat crafts or projects to show you, but I will show you my heart! I spent last night helping my dear friend, Vanessa, get her boys ready for their school Valentine's party. I brought her boys a little craft project so first they painted their little pirate magnets. Next we stuffed and tied up their treat bags that they were going to pass out at their party. We made a counting game out of that! As I tied them I had Evan and Emery count them and keep "inventory". SO CUTE AND FUN! My friend Vanessa is a fabulous cook, so she whipped up a fabulous Greek salad along with lobster bisque! SUPER YUMMY! Right before we sat down to eat it, I looked down and little Emery, who will soon be four, had gotten his little pirate Valentine cards and arranged them on the floor. I guess he was admiring them! I am telling you, that was one of the sweetest evenings I have had in a long time. Cheers to my favorite little Valentines, Evan and Emery! I hope your heart is as full as mine is today.

LOVE YOU....mean it!
XOXXO
Née Née

Nice Rack

Hee hee hee! I bet you thought this was going to be about something else! I found these great "racks" at Hobby Lobby for my paints! I love them and think they would be great for towels and toiletries in a bathroom as well. Just wanted to share my find with you. Have a wonderful Monday!

XOXXO
Née Née

Doe-cus Pocus

I just got back from a doe-lightful weekend in Pearsall, Texas.  There is a wonderful group of women that look forward to this all year long.  We have such fun times.  We shop, we take photos, we read, we have cocktails, we hunt, and we bond!  We have a fabulous woman that hosts it each year named Charlotte.  I tell you, she has a big heart, and she loves her girlfriends.  She has assembled this little family of folks and invites us all down to have the time of our lives each year.  I thought I would share some of our pictures.  I wish I could bottle the feeling I have for two weeks following this trip each year.  I am on top of the world after hanging out with these ladies.  They are so great to be around and give me a boost of confidence and energy that gets me through to the next year! 

"Brandilicious" received a longhorn necklace for a prize, but she is an Aggie...so look closely and notice, she sawed the horns off!  Too funny!

Our wonderful Carol, or Scarlet as we call her this weekend, is our resident socialite!

Ginny, in all of her glory.  She was a child music prodigy, head of the Houston Symphony and the first female Commodore of the Houston Yacht Club.  Her nickname is Commo - Doe.  Get it? 

Sweet Georgia with her loot!

Diane with her loot! This year was an animal theme...don't you just love the wrapping?  Donna who is one of the folks on the "entertainment committee" did a wonderful job wrapping all of the prizes!

Boots are a staple at Doe Weekend!

Just having a little fun in the cantina, honoring Terry, who was named one of this years Women of Distinction! 

Now it is back to life, back to reality!  (and catching up on my reality shows...I shamelessly watch ALL of The Real Housewives!)  This has really sparked my creativity...so I'll be sure to share all of this Doe MOJO with you!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!  Reach out to a girlfriend!
XOXXXO
Renee'
or
Roxie de Lite (as I am known at Doe Camp!)

How to Peel a Hard Boiled Egg

My adorable niece, Maycee, shared with me yesterday that she had discovered a shortcut for peeling boiled eggs. I was so happy to learn this news, because I REALLY DO NOT LIKE PEELING EGGS, but I LOVE egg salad! She told me that she simply cut the egg in half and the skin just comes right off on both sides. Now I have never heard of this trick before, so we tested the theory out, and the results were somewhat encouraging to an egg salad lover!

See below for the play by play as demonstrated by Maycee. I hope your Monday is going well!

Be encouraged!
Luvyameanit!
Nee Nee

Visual Journal

In the fall, I traveled to Colorado for the Professional Decorative Painter's Association. It was a great time to learn new techniques and ideas from other artists. Just when I thought all of the fun was over, I found the coolest store in the airport on my way home. The book talked about how to keep an artful journal. Now, I will be the first to tell you that I give up easily and have ADD. I always start the new year off taking vitamins and quit after about two weeks. I have started journals a number of times because I have been told that keeping a journal is very mentally cleansing and healthy. It is also so very fun to go back and see where you were at a particular time in life, and to gauge where you are now with goals and dreams! Since this type of journal includes drawing and doodling, I think I have a shot at keeping this up for a while. It makes me happy inside when I review my days gone by in color. Here are some pages I would like to share with you. I hope this motivates you to write your feelings down, especially if it is a special time in your life. A very wise friend of mine named Charlotte told me to write down my feelings when I got married. She said write it down because you won't always feel this same way. She was of course, right , and thank goodness I listened to her. I can't tell you how many times I have referred back to that journal, and I fall madly back in love with my husband each and every time. What a blessing!

Have a wonderful day! And then go write about it!

Xoxoxo
Renee