Monthly Archives: November 2012

Pears Podged with Paper

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Pears Podged with Paper
Hey!
For the first Thanksgiving with my children and their new spouses (see here and here  and yes , I’m shameless and proud!)  I wanted to do it up right  with something special for the table. 

Michael’s came to my rescue.  I found exactly what I was looking for: paper mache’ pears for $1 a piece. The store had pears, apples and cherries but I liked the pears for Thanksgiving. 

To Podge Pears with Paper:
The basic supplies needed are glue, a paint brush, a pear and strips cut from an old book.  Oh, and a movie to watch while you work : )

I like to use the gloss Mod Podge because the result is a shiny finish but you can also use a watered down Elmer’s glue or Tacky glue. 

To apply, brush an area of the pear liberally with glue, then place a strip of paper onto the area and then brush glue all over the paper to seal the strip to the pear.  Repeat and repeat and …

Daughter in law:  “Did you just take a picture of my one painted thumb?”   Guilty!

Once the pear is covered in strips, let it dry for a few hours. I suspended it with a clothespin.
I chose to keep them fairly plain with only a twine bow and a florist leaf so I could use them in many different ways but you could add clear glitter which would be very nice or podge with strips of Christmas wrap.   I would suggest adding a light sprinkling of glitter while the object is wet with Mod Podge.
If you like to cut, glue and paste, you will love this project!

Blessings,

Mimi

“You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last…” 
 John 15:16  NIV Bible

French Country Stew

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French Country Stew

Hey!

Today is one of those cold yucky rainy days.  French Country Stew or Beef Daube is a warm hearty meal with a delicious aroma and taste — just perfect for a day like today.

This recipe does require 2 days but it’s wonderful and oh, so worth it!  I’ve shown it here served  with spaghetti squash and green beans but I’ve also served the stew with a cheesy penne pasta and a green salad. 

Beef Daube

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil 
  • 1 (4-pound) boneless rump roast or chuck roast, well trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
  • 4 small yellow onions, cut into wedges 
  • 4 large carrots, scraped and cut into 2“
  • 1 head garlic, separated into cloves, each peeled and halved lengthwise
  • 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes
  • 1 (750-milliliter) bottle Cabernet Sauvignon or Côtes du Rhône or other spicy, full-bodied red wine 
  • Bouquet garni*
  • Garnish: fresh rosemary

Preparation

  1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Brown beef in several batches in hot oil until browned on all sides. Remove beef to a large plate, reserving drippings in Dutch oven.
  2. Sauté onion, carrot, and garlic in reserved drippings over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and wine. Return beef to pan; add bouquet garni. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat, and cool completely. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Remove Dutch oven from refrigerator. Skim fat from surface, if desired. Let stew stand 20 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Uncover and simmer 30 more minutes or until beef is very tender and stew is thickened. Discard bouquet garni before serving. Garnish each serving, if desired.
  4. *A bouquet garni is a small bundle of fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme and bay leaves, tied together with kitchen twine. We tested with flat-leaf parsley, rosemary and 2 bay leaves.

(recipe posted by myrecipes.com click here and originally from Christmas with Southern Living 2002)

Bon Appetit!

Mimi

“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 
 1 Timothy 6:8  NIV Bible

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

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 Happy Thanksgiving

 Hey!

My house is beginning to have holiday smells, savory ones coming from the kitchen as onions and celery cook in preparation for making our Thanksgiving dressing.  I know the debate wages between the merits of stuffing vs dressing but in our house, the family dressing recipe reigns.

This year will be our first Thanksgiving with our children and their spouses.  We plan to overindulge in laughter and togetherness (and maybe a little food! )

Since my guests will be here through the weekend, I will take time to enjoy their visit and will be back posting next week.

If you’re looking for some background music while you cook, my friend, Sarah has a wonderful playlist put together of thanks giving music you can listen to here

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mimi

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” 
Psalm 95:2  NIV Bible

Cloud Atlas: A Book and A Movie

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A Book and A Movie
Hey!
When you get to the end of the first chapter and it ends mid-sentence — Don’t Panic!  You were not sold a faulty book like I originally thought because the sentence in question picks up in the last chapter.  This clever device is one of many that form David Mitchell’s, Cloud Atlas into a masterfully created story. 
Cloud Atlas
David Mitchell
 The first 6 chapters of the book tell the stories of 6 different people.  The settings are different, the point in time is different, the style of writing is different and the vocabulary the author chooses to use is different.  The remaining 6 chapters pick up the tales of the characters in reverse order.  Think of it this way- 1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2-1.    Each story could be a stand alone but watching how they tie together is wonderfully clever and unique. 

This book is filled with topics to discuss for a book club which is one of the reasons I chose it for my book club pick this month and the fact that the book is just downright good.
I have to confess that I had to pull out a dictionary during the first chapter because some of the words I had never seen nor heard.   I did find a nice interview where David Mitchell talks about writing and and the use of words click here

Honey Do and I saw the movie version this week.  The movie differs from the book but overall I felt the story was conveyed right.  We both really enjoyed it but be warned — the movie is 3 hours long!! The movie also contains some nudity, language, a few grisly scenes and adult themes.  Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, and Hugo Weaving are some of the actors in the movie version.

If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, I’d love to hear what you thought!

 Blessings,

Mimi

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything 
that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” 
 Hebrews 12:1 NIV Bible

If you would like to read about other books I’ve reviewed,  click here 

Blog Name Change

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Blog Name Change
Hey!
YES! YOU‘RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR CHANGE OF PLANS.

What inspired me to change my blog name? 
I’ve been thinking about doing this for some time.  Maybe I should’ve given you a heads up but I changed it on a whim and really didn’t expect it to be so easy to do.

Change of Plans fit me in the beginning because it was about being flexible and taking things and making them better — repurposing thrifted items, decorating and DIY.  I realized pretty quickly however that I couldn’t get enough projects done fast enough to hold my interest or anyone else’s.  I had long gaps between posts as I was trying to get things done. Consequently, my writing began to be more about what was happening in my life.   I made the final decision to change it during the month of October when I had so much fun working on the book posts.

Why State of Hospitality for the new name?
State of Hospitality is a play on words because I live in the hospitality state and the name also reflects more of who I am as well as who I long to be.
Why am I always tweaking my blog?

1. I like change.
2. I’m a thinker and I’m self analytical.
3. Baby steps… I’m not very skilled in computer and I want to be able to offer my true voice to the few intrepid souls  that stick with me and allow me to grow. *Thanks Honey Do *

This latest change had more to do with my mindset than anything else.  I felt constrained by my self imposed limits to write only about certain things and I felt that I was “failing” my audience by not being true to what I had originally set out to do.  Now,  I will continue to write as I have but in my own mind things will make more sense.   Does this make any sense to anyone other than me ???  Or am I as crazy as I’ve suspected all along?

Are other exciting changes coming?

Yes! My old name didn’t allow me to “brand” my blog because the name was already taken in so many ways.  I had boxed myself in so I couldn’t grow in the areas of social media.  With this new name,  I’ll be posting links soon to a Facebook page and a Pinterest site.  I hope you will follow me on those formats as well! 

 

What kind of topics will I be writing on? 
Everything will be free game — life, faith, decorating, crafting, books, movies, family, travel, cooking, etc… but not necessarily in that order : )
I hope you will continue to drop in from time to time and read all my ramblings.
I really appreciate you!

Blessings,

Mimi
” All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.” 
Proverbs 21:2  NIV Bible

Mistletoe Marketplace 2012

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Mistletoe Marketplace 2012

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I can’t wait to show you all that I saw at Mistletoe last week!   Every year, the Junior League in our capital city hosts a shopping event as part of their fundraising efforts. Vendors from all over the country come and set up shop for 5 days of fun in our trade building on the fairgrounds.   I look forward to going every year to see the decorations and shop with one of my BFFs until we drop!   Here’s what we saw…

 Metal doors —who knew they could be transformed into something so festive! 

This dough bowl of greenery and copper ornaments greeted us as we entered the interior vestibule.

 This table all decked out was located in another entrance vestibule.  I love the natural linen covered bench.  Don’t you?

 A closeup of the arrangement — Gorgeous!

Love the wreath on top of the distressed and mirrored french doors.  I’m also kinda liking that animal print fur too …

This vestibule took a more understated elegant approach.  I was tickled by the reindeer collar : )  Might be a cute holiday addition to those animal heads some of you have hanging on your walls.

Inside the shopping area was a very large gazebo decked out for the holidays.  The burlap curtains tied back with copper ribbon and trimmed with greenery are such a great take away idea!

Early morning shoppers were blessed with morning goodness!

 

 An easy and festive take away idea—- greenery wired to an old picture frame with an ornament and ribbon hanger.  So pretty!

My favorite vendor booth —  This booth was sparkly and glitzy and oh, so glamorous!  Most of the items for sale had been covered in German glass glitter which has such a wonderful patina compared to common glitter.   The star is covered with it.
 
 
If you’d like to see last year’s event and decorations, I shared the the post here.
Are you beginning to get ready for the holiday season?  
Blessings,
Mimi 
“You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.” 
 Psalm 65:11  NIV Bible

 

  

Movie Time

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Movie Time
Hey!
We watched a sweet movie about friendship last night.  “84 Charing Cross Road” stars Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft in the main roles. 
84 Charing Cross Road Poster 
The movie is based on the book,  84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff which I wrote about last month.  If you missed the post, you can read it  here.

The movie came out in 1987 but the setting spans a time from the 1940’s to the 1960’s and follows this remarkable friendship that developed via letters between a struggling script writer and an antique  book dealer. 

My Honey Do and I enjoyed it very much and I hope you will too!

Blessings,

Mimi

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  
Proverbs 17:17  NIV Bible