And The Winner Is....................

I pulled a name out of the hat and that name is "Celeste"! Congratulations, Miss Beazy's mom! Now I can send everything to you at one time, sweetpea.

A Teacup for a Prize!

It's time for a give away! So here are the rules:
You have to leave me a comment on this post.
Then I put your name in a pretty roses teacup.
If your name is picked you WIN!
How much easier can it be than that?
Oooooh, and the prize?! Well, you're looking at it. An Old Country Roses teacup filled with pretty greenery and roses and organza ribbon attached to make it ready to hang over your kitchen sink or some place in your little romantic cottage. That's it. Just be sure and comment on THIS post. Oh, one thing more..... you have to live in the U.S. to win. I do not ship internationally.

What's for Dinner and Why Are You Photographing My Food?!

Okay Okay, men don't understand these things! I wanted to post my recipe for spanish rice. So being very visual I wanted a picture of it so others could see how good it is. We have this frequently because it is so good and so quick. Soooooo, I made it while hubby went to a meeting. He called to say he was on his way home so I dished it up. Then I had to photograph it, of course. DUH!! He just looked at me and asked why are you photographing my dinner? I told him it was for my recipe that I'm posting on my blog. Then he started laughing while saying, "You're posting our dinner on your blog?!" Wrong thing to say with that kind of attitude to a post menopausal woman! I made him wait until I did 10 shots of it and then said "dig in"! Hah, that'll teach him to mess with me. Hey, I don't think they truly understand about blogs, selling on ebay or WOMEN truly.

Anyhoooooo, here is a picture and my really good recipe. Dessert comes next.
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1 cup of rice
2 tblsps of butter
1/2 pound of hamburger
1/2 onion
1/2 tsp of New Mexico chili powder
1/2 tsp of pasilla chili powder
some chopped red bell pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes with just juice - NOT the italian diced tomatoes
1 - 1/2 cups of water
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Brown onion and hamburger in sauce pan with butter. Then put in rice and brown it a bit also. Then throw in the red bell pepper. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water and one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes - regular with just the juice, NOT the italian spice tomatoes. Put in the chili powders (this may be adjusted to your own tastes). Stir it all together, let it boil and then simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Yummmmmm.......
One pan to clean, fast and easy!!! What more could you want? Women understand when the "one pan" and "easy" thing.


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Strawberry shortcake was for dessert. I made the shortcake from scratch, added some luscious strawberries with whipped cream and then photographed it. He still doesn't understand why I had to photograph the dessert! Will they never learn?! DUH....you photograph the main course you have to photograph the dessert also!

For Celeste, Katie, Amy the Princess, Sharon & Vickie

Miss Katie's wish is my command. She requested that I show her picture of her old home in the city:

"This is a picture of me in front of our previous home
in the city. It was a typical tract home. I thought
Connie might like to post it here, after showing the
cottage doors. The yellow blossoms I'm standing under
are from the climbing rose called Lady Bank's Rose.
It eventually trailed up and over the entire carport
edge. Far right was my lilac bush. Living in the
country we now have about 14 lilac bushes! Katie"

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I found these pictures in an old book and each one brought to mind a certain person in our PRH group. All beautiful and wonderful chicks if I do say so myself. ;-) Anyway, I'll tell you why below:

Here we have what I thought looked like Celeste's Miss Beasley, who follows Celeste around from morning till night and sometimes beyond! While this doesn't look anything like Celeste's bedroom, I'm sure she would appreciate the look but most assuredly the "puppy" lounging on the flower strewn bed. Yo, Miss Beasley, do ya hear us talkin' 'bout ya??!!
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Katie is brought to my mind when I see this desert oasis above. Katie and Bob work diligently in the arid desert of Nevada to make it lush and productive. You should hear what she has planted on those 2 acres. Trees, rose bushes, flowers, vegetables, grapes, goats, cats, doves. Plus they live off a lot of the stuff. It's Katie's dream spot but they make it better and better each year.
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While this isn't especially victorian, it "smacks" of it and another style also - shabby chic. This is for Sharon, who loves all things antique. Plus she can wear the most wonderful hats and lets those sweet cheeks smile up at ya! She is a true beauty and is married to a sweetheart of a man. We love her even though she has skin we ALL lust for!

Vickie would also love this. She has a "sofa of many different colors" that we all love also. But recently she had a catastrophe in her family and when she went to help out she became very ill. She's back with us now but not up to her usual self. We love her immensely and her sofa, of course. A real treat for us to have Vickie.
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The rest of these pictures are for Princess Amy, our "munchkin mom of 5 boys"!! Amy is a petite thing raising 5 boys and one "football sized hubby." She's the only feminine part of that family and she loves Victoria's Secret and PINK! I KNOW she would love this bathroom to soak in a bubble bath like a princess. :-)
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I have no doubt that she'll catch the meaning of this picture - vintage and bunnies!
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Bunnyrose Amy would adore this kitchen also. She's a frou frou-y kinda chick!
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Same with this living room in a cottage. She'd adore it!
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Personally I love this room with all its sunlight, high windows and PINK. But Amy would love it also. I thought of her when I saw this one also.
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Cottage Doors

I just realized I need to show you MY front door. It's not as elegant as these but I thought I should be brave and post it! I have a little "viewer" to check on who is approaching our home and a little cup hook to hang a pretty wreath or something I've yet to create! But it will be there in the not too distant future. Anyway, here's mine!
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Today I thought I'd show you "Doors" - yes, DOORS - of some adorable shabby little cottages.
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Oh my, doesn't this look like something out of a story book? A little cottage on the way to a fantastic adventure maybe? Stone steps, lush foliage and gnarly trees. And look at that fence - something a little gnome would put up. Vines growing over the door! Aaaah....
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This one has the earmarks of an English tudor cottage but it is here in the U.S. Again, lots of flowering vines, hedges, a little vintage wagon in the yard, the stone pathway leading to the sweet entry and the windows - straight out of an old English mystery novel! Just imagine those tree branches brushing the bedroom window on a dark and stormy night while reading. Ooooo, sends chills up my spine!
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This little stone entryway is quite quaint also. It looks like the door has a "peephole" to view guests before they even arrive at the door. The weathered fence. The eyebrow arch over the window and the little architectural piece adds character to it also. But notice the chimney - I don't think I've ever seen one quite like it. There is also the stone pathway and the stone "window box" under the window. Very mysterious cottage!
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This is more of an "arts and crafts" entry indicative of the northwest. The front door is open and the screen door seems to beckon to visitors to enter. I like the trellis over the entry and the little seats to rest or sit. Stone pathway again, window box and vines growing over to keep the sun at bay on a summer day.
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Can you believe it??? A house called Green Gables in the U.S.?? I guess they loved the novel also. :-) But it has both the look of tudor and arts and crafts. Unusual, but it works! Brick entry and pathway and the door with a lovely floral wreath beckoning to all who enter.

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YES!!!! It is "PINK"!! Oh, be still my heart!!! I love pink - in any form. But this was almost too much to even hope for. A pink cottage!!! It looks like it should be on a cake. Even has the stained glass windows in pink. A little stone pot to put flowers in and what more could you ask for??? But notice the small window atop the entry roof. Isn't that unique? I love this little romantic cottage.
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"Stone Cottage" ought to be the name of this little one. A bit of statuary adorns the yard along with pots of rhododendrons - perfect for the NE or NW. Cedar shingles and pine trees put this one in the NW I believe. Stone pathways and mullioned windows with half curtains to let in the light while preserving the owner's privacy again foretell the cottage appeal to this beauty. Private and a bit mysterious I think.
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Here the door has a "speakeasy" in it. How quaint is that?! But notice also that this one also has a stone path leading to the door and the requisite lush garden surrounding it.
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On this one, the roof was put on unevenly to resemble thatched roofs of the European cottages. The stone walkway and lush little pathway adds to the ambiance of this little cottage. Notice the little "eyebrow" arch above the door along with the sculptured little plaque above that. Quite cute!
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