Like a Newborn

Hi Everyone just popping in for an update
We brought him home on Saturday last and things are progressing forward slowly.  He is being a great house patient but the whole situation is like having a newborn in the house- he is rightly first in everything and the new mom me lol eats when she can, grabs a shower when there is time, and naps when he naps/sleeps and part of the house gets picked up when I can and lol laundry strangely is multiplied and never ending in hyperdrive it seems LOL.  Each day is a lil better but no established routine yet and the blog surfing is non existant at this point lol.  I sure hope he grows up quick hehe.
Please keep him in your prayers he is having normal issues related to the types of medications he is on and although they are only bothersome at this point the issues decreases his comfort levels and are becomming irritating.
Thank you for your support and Look forward to getting back to visiting yall and posting decor and cooking bits.
RaNae

Just Call him SUPERPATIENT

Well this is just a note to let you all know my husbands nickname at the hospital is Super Patient His surgery took half the time and went perfectly and his recovery is progressing at twice the speed but none of this would be possible without any of you ya'lls prayer and support brought us through- really and seriously they brought us peace and strength and comfort and I know that it if wasn't for that we wouldn't be headed down the long road to total recovery.
I'll be back in a few days once we get settled into our new routine.
Forever in your debt with gratitude
RaNae and Doug

An Update and Thank You

Hi everyone I just wanted to pop in and give a great big Thank You to all the wonderful people in Blog land that are praying for us and keeping us in their thoughts.  I am sorry I haven't been around but Since OCT 2 we have had out of state company/family visiting  and been busy with Dr's apts and such.  Our Surgery Date is during the 3rd week of Oct but don't want to post the exact date on the WWW. 
This week I should be able to get my fall decorating done and my sewing so hopefully I can get some decor posts up.  I hope yall understand if I can't get by your blogs - I'm gonna try my best now that it's back to a somewhat normal routine this week but I just might not make it.  I hope you all are doing well.
thanks again for everything
RaNae

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup = Chicken Pot Pie

So in getting ready for the next couple of busy months I decided to make a big batch
 of Chicken noodle soup and freeze some but when I do this I leave out the noodles
 and I just make them at the time we are gonna eat it I'll make the noodles on the side
and add the soup.

My chicken noodle soup this time was a big stock pot filled with water, several sliced
carrots, 2 sliced celery stalks, dash of white pepper, large tsp poultry seasoning and
3 split skinnless chicken breasts with ribs and a couple squirt liquid aminos.  Bring
 to a rapid boil , cover reduce heat to a nice heavy rolling simmer and cook till the
breasts are cooked about 40-60 minutes- remove the breasts from the stock take
the meat off the bones shred it and put back into the simmering stock for 15 more
 minutes.

So here we are today - all but one container was put into the freezer the other 
day
 and although it was 90 with severe thunderstorms here in Texas today- being the
 yank at heart that I am my internal clock still says it's fall and time for comfort
 food, nurturing warm your bones meals.... it's time for Chicken pot pie.

I placed my chicken soup into a deep frying pan and turned it on
medium heat

I chopped up a package of mushrooms to brown in a

combination of butter and EVOO

set the oven to 425 and placed a rack in the lowest position

 

I cut up 4 medium red potatoes and cooked them in the microwave

 and added them to the chicken soup

after sweating the mushrooms and the small sweet onion I cut up

I sprinkled them with almost a 1/4 cup of flour and stirred to mix

and cooked that for 3-5 minutes stirring pretty regularly

at this point you start adding the broth from your heated chicken soup

a lil at a time to your flour coated shrooms n onions

- stirring constantly to form your gravy..  I gott a lil vaklempt at this point

 and forgot to take the pics because all the sudden my shroom pan

 was pretty full and I had to transfer that to my big frying pan with the chicken

 soup but it all worked out and turned into a nice chicken

 vegetable gravy mix perfect for a pie crust

buy a box of double crusts and let come to just room temp

place one in bottome of ungreased pie plate

fill with your gravy mixture and of course place your pie

pan on a baking sheet

 top with other crust- slit the top 3 to 4 times and place on

bottom rack

cook for 15 -20 minutes then cover edges with foil and

cook for another 20 minutes and

 voila

Open Heart Surgery, Fabulous Finds & Makeover Teaser

Well Open Heart Surgery is in my 47 year Old husbands near future

God is Good He is our Strength and our Healer

Will know more on Tuesday

Please lift us up and all the Dr's Nurses and Technicians involved in our case.

This apparently is an undiagnosed birth defect or an injury to an artery that healed but has calcified and blocked 100%

It's been a shock This all began to be diagnosed Thursday but for months I have been praying for God to Heal my husband his body mind and spirit so I want to publically witness and thank Him for answering prayers and putting us in line with great dr's who are extremly intelligent and kind and you can tell many of them love and know our savior personally.

now for a post I made on Wed

I'll keep ya updated.

Thank you in advance

We believe in the Power of Prayer and Positive Thoughts.

Well this all started because I wanted to be a part of Tabletop Thursdays so I put this setting together and sat with it a few days 

Then I thought hey I have all this fabric in my stash so I pulled it out

WHAT A GREAT FIND

I love the way it is all so french country and warm and cozy and going so perfectly with what I already have in my dinning room sooooo.

I am currently working on redoing my drapes and accessories for the tabletop....

stay tuned.

Need Your Prayers Thank You Thursday

I just wanted to thank God for the blessing of nature and the abundance of it right out my front window.

Thanks God

I also wanted to thank God that he is our healer and I am totally standing in Faith on that.

Please Pray for my Family tonight and especially tomorrow from noon on

Thank You.

Meatless Mexican Main Dish Monday ooops it's Wednesday...Eii Carumba

This recipe comes from : The Low-Fat Way To Cook

Published by Oxmoor House a division of Southern Progress Corporation

Published in 1993

So I am thinking it was offered by Southern Living I used to have a subscription with them during that time and this I either ordered or it was a gift .

I'd like to say when I post my recipes I do so in a manner as if I was trying to impart what small amount of knowledge I have to a novice cook or my teenage neice,

hoping that they learn lil tidbits alot earlier than I did.

See my Father raised me and my husband taught me the basics after that- then I stumbled around for years till I found

 The Food Network

and I have learned so much from all the shows there.

Thank You Food Network I love you... giggle.

Bean and Corn Burritos

Yummy we -well I- have been making this for years and it is a repeat request in our house.  This recipe introduced me to Cilantro well I should say it started my love affair with the herb and it is a must for this recipe.

A Reenie Tip for moving chopped items into a bowl or pan don't rush out and by a pastry scraper or some other gadget use the largest spatula  you have on hand... saves time and your knife blade - not good for your knife to scrape along the cutting board especially if it is resin or glass.

A Reenie Tip  when cutting or chopping peppers place the shinny side on the cutting board this way your knife won't slip

I mash the beans with a potato masher

place your mixture near the edge

Grab tuck tight and roll

I made a double batch so we would have some for lunch tomorrow

both tortillas are carb smart but one is whole grain- mine

I forgot to put the cheese on the inside so I sprinkeled some on the outside and it looks like more than was actually used.  I used a colby jack

topped with salsa, sour cream and cilantro yummy

Hope you enjoy

INGREDIENTS

Preheat oven to 425

4 servings

355 Calories per serving

Vegetable Cooking Spray(I use EVOO)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon minced pickled jalapeno pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1(16oz) can light red kidney beand, drained rinsed and mashed
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
3/4 cup (3oz) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar Cheese ( i used colby-jack)
1 cup comercial medium salsa
1/4 cup nonfat sour cream alternative (we use real just not that much) **have you ever noticed how the alternative won't wash off your serving wear or whatever can you immagine what it takes to get it out of your body??**
Jalapeno pepper slices (optional)
Fresh Cilantro Sprigs(optional) but really enhances it
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add onion, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, and garlic; saute until tender, Stir in cumin and white pepper. Cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in mashed beans and corn.

Place desired amount of bean mixture in tortilla, sprinkle cheese over that roll up tortillas and place seam side down on a backing sheet. Bake at 425 for 7 to 8 minutes or untill thoroughly heated.

Top each burrito with salsa, sour cream and garnish with jalapeno slices and cilantro sprigs.

(if done according to directions) Fat 7.8g Protein 18.5 Carb 57.1g Fiber 5.4g Cholesterol 14mg Sodium 316mg

I'd Like to Introduce the Newest Member of My Flock

Everyone I'd Like you to meet

Gaston Henri Agneau the Ewe

He is a Curly coat corn lovin sheep of the resin breed and he is excited to be in his new home here  at

Ewe Creek Cottage

where he was saved from a dismal life on a clearance rack at the hardware store lol

He has many new friends to call his own 

There is Daisy, Snoop and Sugar

There is also

Rose

and Humphrey

Then there are the Relatives from England

Aldrid, Alfie and Elwood in the back row

then

Marabel & Manford

then

Litton, Eppie and her baby Emilee

and finally Tuk

There is also his French Cousin

Madeleine

 with her babies

Lucienne and Lysette

Well I hope you have enjoyed meeting

the menagerie here at

Ewe Creek Cottage

Have a great weekend and visit again real soon!

Must Have Kitchen Items

Hello everyone I have to share my must have kitchen items  First there is my salad spinner I have had it for years I don't even remember where I got it.  There is nothing worse then soggy lettuce and a spinner does just what it says spins your washed lettuce dry.  Yall gotta get one.

 

Next it's my Rubbermaid Produce Saver I of course use it for lettuce but I also use it for fruit and mushrooms and all sorts of stuff it's even microwave and dishwasher safe and the best part is it does just like it says keeps your fruit and produce fresher longer and in my house that means less stuff gets thrown out which = $$ saved

Monday Recipe: Weight Watcher Beef Stew

Hello everyone this is a recipe I am trying for the first time today it is from

Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook published in 1998

I'll post my notes by the pictures then the recipe at the end.

This pic is just a lil tip I got from watching the food network~ place your cutting board over a damp paper towel to keep the cutting board from slipping.

The beginning of the recipe calls for minced carrots so I cut my time by starting with carrot strings I had in the fridge for salads and nuc cham... always handy to keep on hand.

minced carrots. onion, celery

I used a family 3 pack of some steak I got on sale a few weeks back and had in the freezer... buy 1 pack get 2 packs free couldn't beat that.

forgot to take a pic of the tomatoes I just used a cup of canned chopped tomatoes this pic shows everything in pot for first 45 min simmer.

I was running short on time so I gave the potatoes and carrots a fine cube so they would cook faster.  I use a big spatula to move things from the cutting board into bowls ~really makes things easier.

I also couldn't find pearl onions frozen or therwise at the market so I used 3/4 of a medium sweet onion.

Everything in pot for second cooking of 40 minutes but only took me 25 because of smaller cube on the vegg

The last ingredients- the recipe calls for fresh herbs I didn't have them - I cut the mint in half to 1/2 TBSdried  and it was just a tad too much I would suggest starting out with 1/2 tsp of the dried mint if that is what you have on hand and then go up from there according to taste because dried mint is really really dense in taste and can overwhelm a recipe easily.

Final verdict is very good both my husband and I would deffinitly eat this again and look forward to getting the mint ratio right.  If anyone knows the equivalent of 1TBS fresh to dried I'd appreciate ya leaving a note in the comments.

Hope you enjoy.

What are you cooking today?

BEEF STEW

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon minced onion

1 Tablespoon minced carrot

1 Tablespoon minced celery

1 pound beef round cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup dry wed wine

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried leaves

1 bay leaf

Salt and Freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 frozen pearl onions

(**TIP if you can't find frozen pearl onions, use fresh but you'll have to peel them**)

2 carrots peeled and cut into 1"chunks

4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1 cup thawed frozen peas

1 Tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley

1 Tablespoon minced mint

1. 
   
   In a medium nonstick Dutch oven or heavy saucepan , heat the oil.  Saute` the minced onion, carrot and celery until translucent, 5-6 minutes.  Add the beef and saute` untill browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, wine, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently, partly covered, stirring occassionally about 45 minutes.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Add the pearly onions, carrots, potatoes and 1 cup hot water.  Cook covered 40 minutes
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Stir in the peas; cook 4 minutes then add the parsley and mint and cook 1 minute longer.  Discard the bay leaf.
   
   
   

NUTRITION PER SERVING

356 Calories, 8g total Fat, 2g Sat Fat, 51 mg Cholesterol, 511 mg sodium, 41 g total carbohydrate, 7 g dietary fiber, 25 g protein, 75 mg calcium.

Shooting Blind

Well I really lucked out today... shooting with an lcd only digital camera I find myself very often shooting blind when it comes to taking pictures and the sunshine.  I have to laugh at myslef at one point I was standing there for about 3 minutes trying to find the view hole and then realized ahhh that was my old camera LOL....  I'm sure some of ya'll will be able to relate to that.

Hope you enjoy my blind shots.

RaNae

Late Summer Visitors

With Summer finally winding down and the temps beginning to break a bit which us humans here in Texas really enjoy- it's been a long hard hot summer here- well we have been having a slew of visitors at the butterfly bush right outside our family room window which is such a simple pleasure that brings so much joy that I thought I'd share a few shots with yall and spread the joy.

Wonderful Spring So Far

I hope you all have had a wonderful spring so far we sure have.
I have only had to water maybe 5 times so far otherwise the rain has been enough. My Butterfly bushes are thriving and full of butterflies and hummers all day long . Lots of projects have been in production- made all new shears for the windows, lots of new pillows, recovered an ottoman and slipcovered another.

We started sprucing up our master bedroom with new bedding and window treatments, decor accents and recovered lamp shades. I have plans to make a duvet cover but I am scared LOL- being a self taught novice sewer this will be my largest most difficult project so I am putting it off LOL.

We have also started to redo our master bath.

Well hope all is well with you all.
I'll be back soon with pics.
Happy Spring,,, summer is almost here
RaNae

Tag I'M it

My Great Blogging Friend Wendy Has tagged me to share 6 Weird things about myself - I am psyched I have been wanting to be tagged LOL

1. I like to put dressers inside of closets - it buggs Doug to death lol but I think it makes the closet more efficient especially if you can't afford a california closet system or a diy system from your local home improvement store. It also frees up footprint space in your room.


2. I love to play spider solitare I have mastered 2 suits in as little as 126 moves


3. Religiously whenever I turn on the computer and connect to the web before I do anything else I have to go to People Magazine on line and check out the latest gossip on the celebrities- I think it's genetic my Mom always loved the celbrity rags and so do my Brother and SIL I even purchase In Touch Weekly each week- but they do showcase a decor segment either a stars home or a famous resturaunt or outdoor living each week- that's my justification on that LOL


4. I have a hammer toe on each foot. My pinky toe folds over to the next- makes buying shoes difficult but not impossible. My grandma and aunt had the same thing. IT's kinda funny when ever a child sees it they will bend down and smash my toe back over to the suppose to be position... too cute.


5. We have a treadmill and bike right in our living room better health deffinitly wins out over home decor this time lol
6. Our dogs sleep under the covers with us and it's in their genetic code they were originally bred in Germany from Terrier lines (they are not related to Dobermans at all) to be mousers for the German Housewives back when they used to have dirt floors. The Min Pin was always at the Housewives side or watching for intruders. They would sleep under the covers to protect the family members from roving rodents. They also were rat catchers in the stables.

So that is my 6 and now I have to tag 6 of my friend to do this so here goes

also check out their great blogs.

Melissa

Meg

Christy

Maddy

Diana

Tara

***Here are the rules: Each player of this game starts with "6 weird things about you". Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as clearly state this rule. After you state your 6 weird things, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you're tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog for information as to what it means.**

FORCED HIBERNATION = CABIN FEVER LOL

ZZZZZ zzzzz ZZZZZ zzzz

Hello everyone I've been in hibernation of a forced sort- first it was getting sick right after the holiday and my birthday and it was a doozy of a bronchitis that zapped me then the clouds rolled in and the storms hit.. We haven't seen the sun in so long we wonder if it is still out there ??? tell me is it? And the cold and rain and or snow or ice just won't stop... I know an awful way to start out a blog griping but both Doug and I are miserable lots lately- thus the hibernation - in layers of clothes and under warm blankets with lots of warm drinks and our 4 legged heaters we have survived and have heard a rumor it is to be 50 and sunny tomorrow once the rain ends in the morning and we can hardly wait. We plan on walking the dogs all around the neighbor hood as they have cabin fever also

**on a positive note our area was under a drought and all the snow and ice and rain has been very beneficial.

So here are some pics of some things I've been doing while curled up in blankets on the couch I knitted 3 scarves one pink one isn't pictured it was a gift for a friend. I have been pouring over my favorite book ever- it is packed with fabulous ideas and I think written specifically for me the best thing I got it at the half priced book store this past summer. In it are lots of embellishment ideas so I broke out my leftover beads from past lamp projects and embellished 2 votive holders and 3 glass jars- when my tea lights are light inside the beads sparkle and cast wonderful dancing shadows on the walls. All I did to make those was to clean the glass with rubbing alcahol 70% and then glue on with Aileens super tacky white craft glue. I allowed them to dry for 6-8 hours before lighting the candles that night.

I have decided to knit a blanket for the living room. It is my own design. I am applying the principle of strip quilting. I am making long strips of alternating colors of the blue and green pictured to form blocks. Each strip will alternate in the oposite and when I connect the strips I am hoping for a patchwork effect which I will then border with the green. It isK2rows P2rows size 10 needles very simple since I am a novice and I am using red heart plush yarn - super soft. I had to get out my pamphlet to get me started again since I hadn't knitted in like 6 years- and this isn't the pamphlet I was looking for but it has served me well. I finish my first strip today - yay.

Last time we were grocery shopping at Wal Mart I found these great corn husk baskets large enoug to hold 14 large skeins of yarn for only get this- 3$ each I picked up 2 and I found the perfect rosy shade of lip gloss it is Rimmel Vinyl Stars in HOT ROCK... just love it when it's on my lips it brings a rosy glow to my cheeks and light to my eyes this is a must have girls.

Well I hope that yall have a great weekend.

Hugs RaNae