The Deep South is in a Deep Freeze!  It is cold!  Very cold…it was 25 degrees at 6 am, and now…at 2 pm, it is only 35 degrees!  And, it’s getting a lot lower tonight.  Why, we even had snow flurries here in our fair city this week!   Just so you know…this is not my idea of a good time!  It’s not supposed to get this cold here!  Anyway, I thought it would be an excellent day for soup.  And…that’s something I can make!  I mean, how can you mess up soup?  Can’t you just add anything and everything and stir it up and call it soup?  🙂 

Well, as you know, the kitchen is not where my talents lie.  But, I can make this soup…even I know this is not hard.  This is Paula Deen’s recipe…and, it’s a good one.

POTATO SOUP

1 bag frozen hash-brown potatoes…(30 oz. bag)

2 cans chicken broth…(14 oz can)

1 can cream of chicken soup…(10.75 oz. can)

1/2 cup chopped onion…(now, personally, I do not like to smell, touch, peel, slice, or chop onions.  Did you know that you can buy a pkg. of  frozen, chopped onions!  Isn’t that the most wonderful invention?   So, now my soup can have onions in it, too!)

1/3 t. ground black pepper…(that’s not even enough to mess with, is it?)

1 pkg cream cheese….softened…(8 oz.)

In a 6 quart electric slow cooker, combine potatoes, broth, soup, onion, and pepper.  Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours.  Then, stir in cream cheese…and cook for 30 more minutes…stir occasionally until combined.  Garnish with green onion, if desired.   But if you desire  grated cheese  or crumbled bacon. that’s OK, too!

Serves 4  

That’s it…easy enough that even Tonja can do it!  I serve it with cornbread muffins.  And, no. No, I don’t fix a dessert.  There’s ice cream in the freezer!

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FYI:  I wrote this earlier in the week.  The weather has warmed up a bit yesterday and today.  But, it’s heading back down now, and I am heading north for a few days.  For sure, it will be freezing there!  So, if it’s cold where you are, ice and snow on the ground or just a cold wind blowing through the trees…make some soup.  It will warm you to the bone.

One more, for laughs…

Sweet Finn, who is an impish, mischievous soul who like nothing more than  than running and jumping and playing…and he’s not particular who he plays with…just as long as they play!  He had his surgery on Monday to have him neutered.  The Vet called me and said, all went well and while he was asleep, he took out the rest of his baby teeth  (11).  So we figured he was quit confused when he woke up…hurting at both ends.  But, it has not slowed him one bit. 

His big friend, Charla, came over to spend a few days while Adam and Suze were in Savannah on a shoot.  Finn adores her….she finds him a nuisance….

When they are outside, Finn makes every step she makes…except when he is jumping at her trying to get her to run and play.  She is not interested…..

So we let her go out side by herself and keep that little imp inside.  Or Finn would possibly end up in the top of one of those tall oak trees!

We live in a private neighborhood…just one street, but we are responsible for all the repairs and maintenance that is done on our street.  So, we had a Christmas party and meeting last night.  We have had 2 new couples move in and we met them last night.  One is a young couple and one is a retired couple.  And, the house right next door to me is for sell!  Don’t some of you want to come and look at it…it even has a guest house.

Now I must go and get ready for church.  And, end this post….cause I’m already into next week.  Whew!  The weeks are ganging up on me!

PS.  Finn stole and ate one of my shoes!  One of my Toms!  I’m glad he is toothless for a while…serves him right!  🙂

Pantone just released their Color of the Year for 2011: Honeysuckle

They chose the color for its ability to instill “the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

HONEYSUCKLE?

Watermelon…maybe…or red/orange…..or something !  But this color is definitely NOT Honeysuckle.  I imagined a warm yellow/green….but never THIS!

THIS is honeysuckle.  It grows everywhere in these parts.  And, is filled with a single drop of amazing nectar, that has delighted the tongues of many child on a hot summer’s day.

But, when I googled the image of  ‘honeysuckle’…I not only found the above image, but this one, too.

I was amazed!  I had never heard or seen of honeysuckle this color!  Will wonders never cease?  It’s very colorful and it actually looks sorta…kinda… like the Pantone color of the year…2011.

Do you think it’s possible that Pantone, the color specialist since forever,  actually knows more about colors than this grey haired mama in South Alabama?  NAH!  Not a chance!  🙂

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FROM THE PANTONE WEBSITE:

 A Color for All Seasons

Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.

While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”

Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”

Honeysuckle is guaranteed to produce a healthy glow when worn by both men and women. It’s a striking, eye-catching hue that works well for day and night in women’s apparel, accessories and cosmetics, and in men’s ties, shirts and sportswear. Add a lively flair to interior spaces with Honeysuckle patterned pillows, bedspreads, small appliances and tabletop accessories. Looking for an inexpensive way to perk up your home? Paint a wall in Honeysuckle for a dynamic burst of energy in the family room, kitchen or hallway.

OK…here’s the rest of the decorating.

As you come up the front steps, you are greeted by two large red bows and 5 foot lighted trees in bronze urns on either side of the door.  You’ll have to take my word for it, I didn’t get a pic of the trees at night…and they are not very pretty if they are not lighted.

The old butcher’s table in the foyer is filled with a collection of my silver mercury glass ornaments.

There are the 3 trees to the right…

And on the other end is a small lamp I found with a mercury glass base.  I really need to get a different shade, but no time yet…And next to the lamp is a set of bells that I found last year.  I finally found some hooks to hold them, but decided to only use one of them…

In the middle, is a big, very rustic box.  In it I put all the largest of my silver mercury glass.  Mixed in with pine and holly and all piled up high!

Moving on to the back foyer, I put up a tree with only top branches and a wreath and more balls at the bottom.  I used this table for the desserts at the party, and with the this tall tree it freed up a lot of space.  On the branches are a few of my favorite birds.

The big kitchen cupboard is the last place we will visit.  I so enjoy decorating this space for the seasons.  Here I put my Mistletoe Manor angels.  I had 3 of them, and had always wanted to add to the collection. 

But they were discontinued last year, so I thought there was no chance.  I had been on line looking and no luck.  Then, one day, on a stroll through TJM, there they were!  Sitting up high on the top shelf!  Just waiting for me to come and get them and bring them to their new home.  And, since they were waiting just for me…could I disappoint them, and leave them there?  Why, no…of course not!  I did the right thing and brought them home.  And, they seem so happy here, I’m glad I did. 

  And, lo and behold!  The next time I went, I found the Santa and Mrs. Santa.  They are from the same collection, but I had not intended to get them.  But, once again, I went all soft, and let them talk me into coming to live at my house. 

And, they look just perfect here in the kitchen, don’t ya think?  Yes.  Good decisions, both.  On the top shelf are three topiaries with colorful berries, and a decorative plate, vase and sign.  The little music box is a favorite treasure we bring out at Christmas each year.  We gave it to Alex on his first Christmas.

And, last but not least, in the studio, an old red pick up truck  bringing home the Chrismas tree!

I  have such fun playing with all my treasures, and placing them here or moving them there.  Nothing in this house is ever in the same place 2 years in a row.  I just don’t like ‘sameness’. (Is that even a word?)  And, it usually takes me several weeks looking at a particular vignette to decide if I like it or not.  Like the mantel…I do not like it this year.  There is not enough color, and it seems to fade into the stone.  So, next year…who knows where they will end up?

I’ve had several requests to show the decor I used for Christmas.  So I will show some today, and the rest tomorrow.

I must not take all the credit.  My sweet friend, Tina, took a day off work to come and help me decorate.  We have such opposite personalities.  As scattered and ditzy as I am…she is organized and focused.  She has tried over the years to help me work in an orderly fashion…start at one end and go to the other…instead of starting 6 projects and doing a little bit here and a little bit there.  And, I do pretty good, as long as she is with me.  But, when she is gone…so am I!  Her daughter, Amy, came over and helped us and ran errands, too.  And, my friend Patty came over and added her willing hands.  Patty helps keep me straight, as well.  I am so blessed to have friends like these.

First, the mantel.  I used the trees that I used on the table last year for the mantel.  I did not want the trees to be in the way for the party.  Remember these trees were the ones that Mom had bought for me before she died.  I love them as much this year as I did last.  And, friends, if someone tells you that your whole stone fireplace will crack and crumble and fall to the ground if you put a nail in it…..don’t believe it!  See!  safe and sound!

On one side of the fireplace, I put these 3 trees.  And, on the other side I used this lantern on a pedestal.

The buffet, I kept simple also.  My mixed berry garland, and the teeny, tiny seed lights, and these two very rustic candlesticks.  Oh, and two super glittered snowmen….guess, it’s not too simple after all…:-)

Now, to the table.  When we began building the Creek House, my sweet Daughter-in-Love, Suzanne, began getting me these beautiful pots.  I have had them sitting on a bakers rack, and have had plans to fill them with plants.  But, I had an idea that they would look good down the center of the table…filled with something.  After I had decorated the tree, I had quite a few mercury balls left over.  (Can we just say ‘excess’ here?)  Anyway, I gave Tina my ideas and away she went.  We tweaked a little here and a little there, added in some votives, and it was done.  What do you think?

And, speaking of the tree…here it is…

And, last for today, I reused the twigs from fall, and added ivy and holly to this tall basket.

That’s it for today.  I’ll show you the rest tomorrow. 

I just LOVE Christmas!  I love the colors and the smells and the sounds and the parties!  And, I love to decorate my home.  We are blessed, and give thanks to God for all he has given to us.  But, please know that as much as I love all these ‘things’ about Christmas,  that’s all they are…things.  All that will last, and all that really matters, is that one perfect gift…Jesus.  That must be the focus of all we do during this season.  It’s His birthday, and He deserves our praise.

Oh, what a fun and busy weekend!   That’s what helps make Christmas such a fun time, isn’t it?  On Friday night, Don and I hosted our Sunday School classes at our home.  We had about 35 people attending, and fun was had by all.  We ate, and talked, and played games, and prayed and laughed and sang and laughed some more!  It was cool weather, but the men were able to eat outside by the fireplace, and we ladies ate inside at the table…and on the floor…and on the couch!  Don and I provided turkey and ham and everyone else brought all the other food!  Yummy!

Just a few random pictures…I didn’t manage to get a pic of everyone…I kind of lost track of whose I had made.  Go figure!

Our teacher brought everyone a pair of Christmas socks.  Then she decided that this would make a perfect ‘class picture’.  And, she was right!  Can you tell which one I am?  🙂

Here is the whole group:

On Saturday, Joy had gotten us tickets to a play in Montgomery…about 100 miles north of us.  She has a broken foot…and Pop has macular degeneration…so I was the designated driver.  They arrived at my house around 10…and off we went…

We stopped and got a quick bite to eat and headed to the theater.  Montgomery has a wonderful theater called The Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  They have plays of all kinds, all through the year.  Many are suitable for children and schools from all over the state take groups there.

The play we were seeing was Peter Pan.

It was delightful!  There were quite a few children there and it was fun to watch them and their enjoyment.  But, it was very entertaining for adults also.  I don’t think I had ever really known the story of Peter Pan.  Maybe I did and just forgot, but parts of it were new to me.  Wonderful actors, and fun music.  The children really enjoyed seeing Peter Pan and the children flying through the air!

We went by a favorite smoothie place and got us all one for the road and took off for Dothan.  Pop had stories to tell and some we had not heard before!  So blessed to have this time together!

Great fun!  Great people!  Great activities!  Great food!   What more could you ask of a weekend?