Metamorphosis Monday

I used to really dislike Mondays, but not anymore thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch and her weekly Metamorphosis Monday event! Make sure to drop by Susan's blog at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ and see all of the incredible before and after posts.
And while you're there, stay awhile and enjoy a cool glass of lemonade on Susan's incredible porch, you'll feel like it's summertime again before you know it!

Today I am sharing a different kind of metamorphosis, the one that occurs in an artist's mind as he is painting. This idea actually originated with a phone call from my husband. Late Thursday afternoon the phone rang and it was DH, who was at Pier One. Now, first you have to understand that if I want to go to Pier One, I have to drag him kicking and screaming (or at least alot of frowning). So my curiosity was piqued, to say the least. He said he was looking for props for the gallery window. DH " Do we have a bottle of red wine that I can use" Yes, we did. "Do we have a wine glass that I can use" Yes, we did. "I'm looking for a bottle glass vase" - well you may have to go to Pottery Barn for that one. "Where can I find white linen napkins or tea towels?" At this point, I was thinking of all of my tablescaping buddies in blogland, so I told him to check TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc. In the background I can hear him clinking and clanking through all of the glass ware and I got a fit of the giggles. I told some of my blogland buds that I can't do a tablescape to save my life, but my DH was doing one! Needless to say, he wasn't amused. So I asked what kind of display they were doing, and he said he wanted to mock up two of their still life pieces so people could see what the set up looked like, and how the artist actually saw it in the final painting. So I thought, hmmm . . . this could be a great idea for Met Monday. I'm out of projects around the house (actually I'm not out of projects, I just haven't started on any of them!) So this is what I came up with!



This is the basic mock up for a piece entitled Tropical Reflections.

"Tropical Reflections" by Kyle Polzin courtesy of Windberg Enterprises

Props used for a piece entitled Island Interlude. Notice the wine bottle - DH said ours had
the "wrong" type of label, so I was shopping Thursday night for a bottle of wine with the "right" kind of label! The clerk asked if I liked this particular wine, and I had to tell him I had no idea, it was being used in a window display. I think he may have wondered if I'd already sampled some!

"Island Interlude" by Kyle Polzin, courtesy of Windberg Enterprises


The window as it looks now. DH said that they have had more people stop to look at this vignette than any other display they have done. Here's hoping that we have done our part to stimulate the economy! (Excuse the reflection in the glass, I could NOT figure out how to get this shot without getting myself in it too)

Now swing by Susan's and see what everyone else has done for Metamorphosis Monday!

A special award from a special person and a big thank you!

I received this lovely award from my dear friend Marty at A Stroll Through Life. I first met Marty on RMS and then we re-connected at MicasaStyle. We both started blogs after being persuaded by our mutual buddy Debbie from Confessions of a Plate Addict. I kept hearing that blogging buddies can be some of your best friends, even though you've never met in person. That has turned out to be so true! I feel like I've known Marty and Debbie for years. They are so much fun and so supportive! If you haven't met Marty yet, make sure that you visit her beautiful blog at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ You will be amazed at her gardens, her talent at decorating and sewing and her fantastic bargain hunting skills!

This lovely award is the "Best Blog Daily Thinker" award. What an honor to receive this, especially coming from Marty. The rules are to post it on your blog and pass it on to 10 other deserving bloggers. I'll be honest, I think that everyone out there deserves this award. Every blog I read has given me new ideas, made me think, made me giggle or just brightened my day. So I'm going to cop out here and just say that if you are reading this, please accept the award! Many of you have already received it, so consider yourself a double award winner!

I really do want to thank everyone who has read and commented on my blog. I started this several months ago with MUCH trepidation. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and the support and enthusiasm of everyone has really been amazing. I have found so many wonderful friends here. It's also been a big help in adjusting to the world of the "emptynester". It's so nice to have others to bounce ideas off of , or just to be able to "vent"! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

First Foodie Friday!

Welcome to my first Foodie Friday post. This fun new event is hosted by the ever gracious Gollum at Designs by Gollum. We are all invited to a cyber potluck! To see what everyone else is bringing today, make sure to visit Gollum at
http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/


If you saw my Valentine's day swap post, you will remember that I mentioned a wonderful chili recipe that I found in Southern Lady magazine. I had not seen this publication before, and was so excited to discover it. It really has a wealth of wonderful decorating ideas, but more importantly (at least in this house) some really great recipes! This is probably one of the best chilis I've ever made or had, and considering that we live in Texas where chili is an art form, that's saying something.


Spicey Chipotle Chili (makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef or chili meat
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Cups chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 Cups water
2 (16 oz) cans hot chili beans, undrained
2 (14.5 oz) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce, minced
2 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1. In dutch oven, cook beef over med-high heat until browned. Remove meat from pan, drain and set aside.
2. In dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add reserved ground beef, water and remaining ingredients. Stir to combine well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Tip: PLEASE make sure to wear gloves or wash hands VERY well after dicing the peppers. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT forget and rub your eyes, bite your nails or do anything else silly while working with peppers, such as attempting to pet the cat. I'm speaking from personal experience here!

I always serve chili with green chili corn muffins. I'll be honest, I cheat and use a fantastic mix that I get at a little gourmet kitchen store here, but you can always chop up some canned green chilis and throw them into your favorite cornbread recipe.

Hope you enjoy this chili as much as we did. DH suffers from acid reflux, so we don't have spicy food every day. But some days he just says "it's a two purple pill day" and throws caution to the wind lol. This is fairly spicy, some might find it too hot, some might not think it's hot enough, but I'm going to play Goldilocks and says it's just right! Enjoy! Now stop by Gollum's place and see what everyone else is bringing to the party.