To me, a home is a comfortable space full of friends and family, laughter and conversation, music and tears, rest and refuge, memories and mementos, treasures and trinkets…

I work hard to make our house a home and for me, part of that is making it visually appealing and inviting. Given my artistic sensibilities I love to be surrounded by beauty and visual delight. Decorating and filling a home need not be extravagant or expensive, it need not follow trends, and it should not be dictated by fads or design “rules”.  I enjoy dreaming of paint colors, wall coverings, fabrics, and furniture. I like to arrange bookshelves and display my dishes. Spending an evening moving around furniture and exchanging one picture frame for another and seeing if this or that will work here or there is fun for me.

Recently, I wrote about a day of shopping with my mom, including going to the annual barn sale and I wanted to give you an update on how it turned out.  Although we didn’t make any purchases at the barn sale, we certainly enjoyed looking at everything there and drooling over the collection of china. Then, at our first estate sale stop, I made a small purchase…

I got the book in the middle, Anna Karenina (in a perfect shade of orange) for $1.00. Can’t beat that. I just love books (I get this from my mom!).

I also purchased something at the next estate sale we visited…something much more major and very unexpected, but that’s for another post on another day!

Here are some finds from an antique store we visited, Ye Old City…

Cute little green pumpkin salt and pepper shakers my mom spotted and bought for me. She loves salt and pepper shakers and thought I needed these–especially for only $4.00!

I could not pass these up…

I first noticed the tall vertical painting sitting on the floor of one of the booths in the antique mall and loved it’s unusual size and shape.  Nearby I saw the black framed painting and was drawn to its unique mat and frame. My mom commented how they would look nice together. Also, these kinds of darker colors are more rare to find in landscape paintings. After seeing a half-off sign in the booth, I knew I had to bring these home with me. Of course, you must do things in threes so I hunted around the booth until I found a little companion to complete the trio. All three for under $25.00! A bargain for real paintings. In my opinion, actual paintings and original photography are so much nicer to decorate with than reproduction prints and “fake” paintings.  Don’t worry, I have some prints, too, but I love to use paintings. And as you can see, you can find them cheap if you look around!

Now to find a place to hang these…

I collect images I like on my desktop. When I see something I like, I right-click and “save image as” straight to my desktop. Jason says I have too many icons on my desktop, but I love having all those little wonderful portals that take me to visual deliciousness.

Have a peek for yourself…

Here’s to dreaming…

Just had to share a few pictures of my niece and nephew…

Thumbelina Kyndle: Costume #1

Fairy Ballerina Kyndle: Costume #2

Sheriff Andrew

Sheriff Andrew with Mommy

I concocted this recipe from inspiration from several recipes. I have had a few people ask me for it, so here it is…

Black Bean & Chicken Enchiladas

2 Large, Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts

2 Cans of Black Beans, Drained & Rinsed

1 Can Mexican Rotel (or whichever you prefer)

8 oz Plain Yogurt

2 Cans of Cream of Chicken & Mushroom Soup (if you can not find this, Cream of Chicken or 1 Cream of Mushroom and 1 Cream of Chicken will work)

About 1-2 Cups of Chicken Broth

Shredded Cheese (Colby Jack or Cheddar will work)

20 Corn Tortillas

Seasoning (Taco Seasoning, Cumin, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes…all to taste and depends on what you like)

1. Sprinkle some taco seasoning on chicken breast and bake until done.
2. Meanwhile: Mix soup, yogurt, Rotel, and broth (about a half cup to start) to make sauce.
3. Drain and rinse black beans and put in separate bowl.
4. When chicken is done, cut/shred in small pieces and add to beans.
5. Spoon sauce a little at a time in bean and chicken mixture until covered. At this point you may want to add a little more chicken broth to the filling mixture.
6. Scoop mixture into tortillas, roll, and place seam side down in sprayed casserole dish.
7. Cover with remaining sauce (depending on how much sauce you used for the filling, you may need to add more chicken broth to your remaining sauce to make it go farther).
8. Now I usually sprinkle on some cumin, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground pepper–this is optional.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.
10. Top with shredded cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

**Note: This recipe actually makes TWO casserole pans of enchiladas. To make only one dish, half ingredients or freeze your filling and sauce for another time.

**Disclaimer: As you can see from my recipe, I am not “married” to recipes, so to speak. Sometimes I use different soups, cheeses, etc depending on what I have and I don’t typically measure things or follow recipes exactly. That is why this recipe is not so exact. So, let me know if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

My mom bought me a candle a while back that she found on sale. It is called “Good Morning” by Yankee Candle. It has a picture of a muffin on the front, but the scent is more citrus-y mixed with something I can’t quite name. Now, I have had a lot of Yankee candles in the past, but nothing can compare to this one. It is my favorite candle I have ever had (even beyond the Yankee brand) and that’s saying a lot! My mom found it on base and I have never seen it anywhere since. Yankee Candle’s website makes no mention of this candle so I assume it’s been discontinued (which is probably why she found it on clearance). I am telling you, this candle is awesome….why oh why would they ever discontinue it?? I have gotten more compliments and questions about this candle than any other. I keep it in a cabinet and just pull it out every once in a while to light. It even makes the cabinet smell good and that’s with the lid on. If you EVER see one of these candles, buy it! You can enjoy it or give it to me.

It is always nice and refreshing when a news story does not center on crime, controversy, or criticism. I recently read this story on the Dallas News website: 18 Couples Share Vows in Joint Ceremony.

At Concord Church in Oak Cliff pastor Bryan Carter started a 6 week teaching series called “The Real Flava of Love” for couples. It was hailed as “six weeks to discover God’s plan for singles and how to really maximize the season of singleness.” The last lesson of the series was called “Let’s Just Live Together” and wrapped up with a challenge: if you are living together, either move out or get married. They went even farther: for couples that chose to get married the church offered to pay for the weddings: tuxes, dresses, rings, cakes, etc.  Talk about putting your money where your mouth is! Church officials told the couples everything would be arranged for them and they would be getting married in 30 days. About 30 couples signed up for the challenge and the church conducted interviews and counseling. In the end, 18 couples ended up marrying at the October 25^th joint ceremony.

I don’t know anything about this church or the couples that were married in this ceremony, but I am glad that someone out there is standing up for the importance of marriage. Living together has become quite commonplace in our society. I appreciate pastor Bryan Carter for taking a stand for the sanctity of marriage.

Recently, CNN ran a story about the 8 places every American should see…

Their recommendations were the Sears Tower, Gettysburg, Yellowstone National Park, New York Harbor, Monticello, Graceland, Pearl Harbor, and the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. I have only been to one place on this list: the New York Harbor. What about you? Do you even agree with this list? What places would be on your list?

Compare that with a list of the 15 Places Every Kid Should See by Budget Travel…I have been to four of the fifteen landmarks.

As for me, I think it would also be nice to visit each of the 50 states. The list below illustrates which states I have visited…

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California (had a layover here, but I won’t count that)
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois (had a layover here, but I don’t count that)
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

As you can see, I still have quite a few states to visit…I have been to a little less than half of them. In addition to visiting each state, here are some specific sites I would like to see: Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls, Redwood National Forest in California, the lights in Marfa, the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, and more!

I am excited about this upcoming weekend. Friday is an early release day at my school so I will be heading off to visit my family for a couple of days.

On Saturday my mom and I will be passing the time doing one of our favorite things: shopping. Now, don’t get the wrong idea…most of our shopping trips don’t include malls, dressing rooms and high prices. No way. Our shopping trips usually consist of hunting down garage sales, trying to follow maps to get to estate sales, haggling, and forcing large pieces of furniture in the back of my mom’s Escape. And sometimes we never even buy anything, we just look and look and discuss possibilties of all we could do with what we see.

Fun stuff!

So this Saturday we are heading to the Gresham Barn Sale for our first time. Some friends told my mom about this and it sounds great…we are excited!

If you are in the area, go check it out! I hope there is still some good stuff left on Saturday.

We are also going to check out a Divide and Conquer Estate Sale in Tyler, another estate sale and one of our favorite stores, Rega.

I hope we can make time for lunch at The Potpourri House. Oh so good!

If you are familiar with the Tyler area and have any suggestions of other shopping desitnations, let me know!

I just have to share with you some blogs I have come across lately…

Shanty2Chic

Two sisters, Whitney and Ashley, love to shop and love to craft! On this blog you will see all of their “shanty” turned “chic” items and projects. Too cute!

Wouldn't these dominos they made be perfect for a game room??

A Little Bit Vintage

Written by a stay at home mom, this blog gives inspiration to all aspiring decorators. Rachel showcases comfy, welcoming spaces with touches of whimsy and timeless elements. She also shares lots of crafty projects and has giveaways, too! In fact, she has a giveaway going on now.  Check out her daughter’s nursery….

Decorology

I have been reading this blog for almost a year now. Written by Ashley, a web designer by day, it has the most wonderful collection of images. Rarely a day passes when she doesn’t share some fantastically styled home, room, or objects. If you are looking for new inspiration, this is where to find it!

Those should be enough to keep you busy for a while!

If you find yourself bored, here are some amusing sites to visit…

Wordle

Bomomo

Scribbler

ArtPad

Unleash your inner artist!