Baby Room in the Making

This is a picture of a vintage style baby's room in the making. What is nice about this one is that it can easily transition into an adult guest room when baby outgrows it.

I hope you are having a great Easter week! Have a blessed Easter!

XOXXO
Née Née

Jason Aldean at the Rodeo

Sure have missed y'all. I've been under the weather! I did get to go to the rodeo and meet Jason Aldean thanks to my friend, Lisa! What a blast! Thanks Lisa! Luvyameanit... Faux real!

The Voice

I know lots of American Idol fans, but I have never really been one of them. One singing show that has caught my attention is The Voice. In case you haven't seen it, the initial auditions take place with the judges facing away from the contestant. If a judge likes what they hear, they press a button and turn their chair around. The groups are then assembled into teams. I found myself getting completely caught up in the stories of the contestants and even praying for them to win. I even cried! I know it sounds crazy, but I am totally emotionally invested in this show! This week there was a face off and only one of these two singers could win. I didn't want either of them to go home. One is a preacher's son, and one lived in a car with his daughter when his wife walked out on them. Take a peek at this video and you will see what I mean. They are singing "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys.  Man, they HAVE SOME PIPES!  This is one show that I will be watching this season!

Jesse vs Anthony



Enjoy a little bit of music today... It will make you happy!

Luvyameanit!
Née Née

Easter Egg Door Decoration

I wanted a cute decoration for my door for Easter, but I couldn't find anything that I liked. I found a platter at the dollar store and thought it was cute. When I got home I decided to add a ribbon to it and hang it on my door. I love it! Sookie likes it to!

Happy Monday!
Luvyameanit,
Née Nee

Squirrel "Toy"

This post is not for the faint at heart. As you may have read in the past, Sookie the wonder dog is my little helper. She is such a sweet natured little girl and I just love her to pieces. Well, that being said....she is still 100% doggie. Last weekend I came home to a little surprise in my house. I stepped outside, and turned to come back in, before I knew it, Sookie had managed to smuggle in her very own real "live" squirrel toy. I am thinking the poor squirrel met his demise by falling from a tree into the pool and drowning, or by the rouge outdoor kitty that I "adopted.". Nevertheless, I have said in the past that the whole family is crafty, and this proves it: Sookie made her very own squirrel toy. YIKES!

Sorry if this offends anyone, I am from Texas, you know some folks would call this supper!

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Love ya!
Née Née

The Steamboat House

This is a yummy restaurant at Beltway 8 and Gessner. It is not only yummy, but you get a lot of Texas history while you are there. There is a huge statue of Sam Houston in front of the restaurant, and a HUGE painting of him inside. There are so many stories about our city's namesake, and the steaks are very good. I recommend it for an educational and fun lunch or dinner!

Have a great day!
Née Née

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!)