Adventures in Remodeling – “Dis”-mantling, Part I

Mantle 13 - 310x232 Mantle 6 - 310x232

All of the wood in this house has been original and untouched, so all of the finishes are shellac/varnish rather than modern-day polyurethane.  That means that we have been able to strip the old finish off with denatured alcohol and steel wool, rather than having to use paint remover.  The nice thing about that is that the “character” and natural aging stain of the wood is preserved, so a really lovely color remains on the wood surface.

We couldn’t help ourselves….

When Paul started to refinish the old mantle, he noticed that it was kind of wobbly, so we decided to (carefully) take it apart and try to clean each piece individually:
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Foodie Friday – Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

chicken enchiladas.

We’ll finish up this month with one of my personal favorites – Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce.  I found the original recipe for this in a newspaper’s “Food” section many, many years ago, but this one is adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s most excellent recipe.

Most recipes for “white” chicken enchiladas that I have seen over the years include jalapeno peppers, chili peppers, and/or cilantro; since nobody in our family likes things that spicy, I adapted the recipe to suit our tastes.  Feel free to add in any “heat” that your family might like!

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Tuesday Tunes – “Be Still My Soul”

Honestly, one of the most beautiful arrangements of this beloved hymn:
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Performed by the BYU Concert Choir, from their CD “All Creatures of Our God and King” from Tantara Records, directed by Mack Wilberg.***

This one is on my “Songs I Want Played at my Funeral” playlist…

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***(Also available at Amazon, but that link doesn’t have samples available for listening)
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Sunday Funnies – Boy Meets Girl, 1979 (aka “How I Met Your Mother”)

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Just a couple of kids…..

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It started in a lecture hall at Texas A&M University in January, 1979. Yours truly was a freshman who started out in Pre-Med, but after one semester – and a tearful call home – I had decided to change my major to one which involved more math: Civil Engineering.

Well, the powers that be in the Engineering department told me that the Calculus class that I had placed out of as a Science major wasn’t really “the same as” the one they wanted Engineering majors to take, so I had to start all over again. I hadn’t changed my major until the spring semester started, so I missed the first “official” day of that class.

The next time that class met, I was sitting in a seat in the lecture hall, feeling quite lost since I didn’t know the professor’s name, office hours, etc. Some guy came in a little late to the class, looking all harried, and sat down in one of the few empty seats – right next to me.

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Adventures in Remodeling – Painting the Parlor

Well, we finally reached the point where we are starting to finish things up in the front living room.  Electricity has been run, sheet rock has been put up, taped, and bedded, and now it is time to pick out colors to use in the room.

Have I mentioned how much of a love/hate relationship I have with this task?  I have a general idea of “what” I want things to look like, but when it comes to settling on just the right color, I go into “turtle” mode – I want to run and hide.  But I know that if I let someone else do this part of the job, I will more than likely be very unhappy with the colors that are picked out, so I trudge on through it.

Funny thing about paint colors – they look different in the fluorescent lighting at the paint store than they do at home in natural lighting.  And while I wish I could just use the same color throughout the house, the truth of the matter is that what looks good in one room looks awful in another room.

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Paint Samples 1

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Valentine’s Day – A Little Romance


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Because today is a day of romance, I thought I’d share one of the best renditions of “My Funny Valentine” that I’ve ever heard – Michelle Pfeiffer’s version from the movie “The Fabulous Baker Boys”:


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Hope you have a great day with the one you love!
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“Rhapsody” Redux

Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin 1.
I know that I just did a post about this piece – I was looking for something to fill in a Saturday afternoon, so I decided to leave it up, rather than take it down and re-post it because some people had already seen it (thanks for indulging me!).

But when I ran across a version of the piece performed by another up-and-coming musical talent, I knew that I had to do another post on the piece. What better day to do that than on the anniversary of “Rhapsody’s” debut?

On February 12, 1924, the American public was treated to the world debut of what has become an enduring and quintessential American classic – “Rhapsody in Blue“, written by a then up-and-coming musical talent, George Gershwin.

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Tuesday Tunes: Hallelujah, I Love Him So – Eva Cassidy

Vintage 15

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Here’s a peppy little tune, just in time for Valentine’s Day (I couldn’t find a video of this that I liked, so I made my own):

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That’s the incomparable Eva Cassidy – this tune is from her “American Tune” album; you can get it in either CD or MP3 formats (I’ve already got mine).

Have a great day!
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Sunday Funnies: Family Faves

Make-em-laugh.
Well, it’s time to reach into the vault and re-post some funny stuff sent to me by various family members that will hopefully cheer everyone up:

From my Mom:

In the hospital the relatives gathered in the waiting room, where a family
member lay gravely ill. Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and
somber.

”I’m afraid I’m the bearer of bad news,” he said as he surveyed the worried
faces. “The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain
transplant. It’s an experimental procedure, very risky, but it is the only
hope. Insurance will cover the procedure, but you will have to pay for the
BRAIN.”

The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a time,
someone asked, ‘How much will a brain cost?’

The doctor quickly responded, ‘$5,000 for a Democrat’s brain; $200 for a
Republican’s brain.’

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Foodie Friday – Tuxedo Strawberries

Tuxedo Strawberries 3.
With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, why not try your hand at making something yummy for your sweetie?  The fact that these are pretty and elegant is just icing….

Tuxedo Strawberries

Ingredients:

18 medium fresh strawberries with stems
1 cup vanilla or white chips
3-1/2 teaspoons shortening, divided
1-1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
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