Marie's Perfect Potato Soup

It's been one of those weekends in my hometown of Louisville.. the rain has been relentlessly coming down since Friday night.  Saturday we trudged out to the St James Art Fair and soddenly walked around in the rain for four hours while we looked at art, jewelry, and other various crafts that artists from all over the country bring here annually, always looking forward to the lucrative event.  Despite the rain, we were not alone in St James Court.  Lots of people were braving the weather.  Unfortunately, the vendors had to pack up early, because the streets were quickly becoming flooded.  Stricken artists had to pack up their wares before they started floating off down the street.

Saturday night brought lots of flash flooding and flooded basements for those poor souls without working sump pumps.  84 people had to be evacuated from their home- some of them rescued by boat.  Sunday found many people in Louisville grateful they had groceries and football on tv, since flooding in their streets prevented them from leaving their homes.

Luckily, we have a new sump pump and new drainage systems in our neighborhood, so our basement is dry and our streets are clear.  It's still been steadily raining all day, but I have football to watch and was able to get out to the grocery store.  The cool, rainy fall weather always inspires me to cook.  It seemed a perfect day for chili..  but I was in the mood for one of my favorite comfort foods- potato soup!  I'd always loved my grandmother's when I was growing up, but had never gotten a recipe from her.  So I've spent a few years perfecting my own, and I'm glad I made the effort.  Now I can eat myself into a food coma, and lazily watch the Broncos secure another victory on their road to, I believe, the Super Bowl this year.

In the meantime, I'll share with you my perfected potato soup recipe.  :)

Marie's Perfect Potato Soup

You Need:
5 lbs Russet potatoes
2 celery stalks
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 large white onion
32 oz chicken stock
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packet
1 stick butter or margarine
2 oz Kroger brand REAL bacon pieces/bits. (I use about 2/3 of the 3 oz package)
32 oz (4 cups) 2% milk (you can use whole milk for creamier soup. be aware this will raise fat content considerably)
Sharp shredded cheese, for garnish

Peel and dice potatoes.  Slice celery stalks.  Place in large stock pan and cover with hot water.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to prevent boilover.  Add salt to water.  Boil potatoes and celery for 15 minutes.

While potatoes are boiling, dice onion and saute until translucent in olive oil.  Turn off heat.

After potatoes and celery boil for 15 minutes, drain water off in colander.  Return to pan, add onions and pour in chicken stock.  Bring to boil.  Add in bacon bits, ranch seasoning packet, and butter.  Pour in milk.

Let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Garnish with shredded cheddar.

Cuddle up with a warm blanket on a cool day and enjoy.  :)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

I hate to throw things away if I can help it.  usually if I can't use it anymore, I will donate it, SOMEONE can get use out of it still.

So when I moved and saw this hideous chandelier, my instant reaction was it had to go and be replaced.  As I looked and looked in the stores, I never really found anything I loved... and the more I looked at the chandelier, the more I thought I could do something with it to salvage it.

So we've all seen these 80's type chandeliers, right?  brassy with ugly glass plates...

The first thing I did was pull the hideous glass plates off.  I had a couple friends suggest maybe frosting the glass plates or something, but I really didn't want to use them at all, and one of them was missing anyway.  They are sitting in my garage awaiting another project or a donation.

I had Robbie pull the chandelier down off the ceiling, because the brass finish had to GO.

after taping over the light bulbs, I sprayed the entire fixture with a satin black spray paint.

If you are spray painting a piece, you first want to use masking tape to cover anything that should not be painted, and clean the fixture of any dust and debris.  here I didn't want to worry about getting paint into open sockets, so I left the light bulbs in and taped over the bulbs.

take it outside on a day that isn't too windy, and lay down newspaper to protect the lawn.  (even if you get spray paint on the grass, it's not a huge deal- it will be gone the first time you cut the grass.  But you dont want the fixture sitting in the grass because then you will have grass and dirt stuck to the wet paint.)  You want to avoid days that are really windy because not only would your paint be carried in the wind, but then leaves and other debris could be blown into your object while it is drying.

several light coats work better than one heavy coat, because you don't want runs in the paint.  If you DO end up with a run, wait until it dries and then sand it out smooth, touching up with a light coat of paint as needed.

Once I had the fixture painted and it finished drying, I had Robbie hang it back up on the ceiling.  It already looked a million times better without that dated brassy finish!  I knew I wanted to make bead strands to hang from the hooks that held the glass plates, so I had to go shopping to choose beads that worked with my decor.

My living room and dining room area are painted in a dark warm grey stone color, with pops of color in pillows and art work.  The main accent color in the living space is a soft limey green, and so I looked for beads in that color and with lots of sparkle and character.

I went back and forth on how I wanted to design the bead strands, and eventually came up with a patten I liked.

As soon as I hung the first couple strands on the fixture to test it, I knew I had came up with the right design.  This is actually two separate strands, and they are hung from little loops that can be easily removed from the fixture.  This way, if I redecorate and change my decor and colors in the future, I can easily change the chandelier to suit my new decor.

I took my time making all the bead strands over a couple of months, and so its been a long time coming that this piece is actually finished!  But I LOVE it, and it is SO me... Its pretty but kind of funky and eclectic looking and definitely not something you'd see in any one else's home.  I love the artsy, handmade look.

From brassy and dated to modern and artsy, this chandelier is now a major conversation piece in my home and the envy of all my friends.  No one can believe it is the same piece it was when we first moved in.  It really was not even difficult to do, and I saved the fully functional fixture from ending up in the landfill.

This is a simple project that anyone can do!  all you need is some spray paint and beading supplies to get a fresh new look from that old, dated light fixture you just hate!

BEFORE AND AFTER!!

collective consciousness

I'm not an extremely religious person. 

My ideas of God, heaven & hell, etc are not typical.  I DO have ideas- I'm not an atheist or agnostic.   I'm not really here to go into my beliefs with this post, however...

When people ask for prayers, I DO send thoughts out into the universe.  Whether or not I believe in God hearing and answering our prayers, I have always worked on the principle that it can't hurt to send positive thoughts out into the universe.  I have always felt that there's more power in prayers sent collectively, by many people.

So imagine how weird it feels that I just finished reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, in which he impresses upon us the power of human thought that grows exponentially when the same thoughts are shared by many... the power of prayer groups, healing circles... and the Hebrew word 'Elohim' representing God in the Old Testament- Elohim being a PLURAL word.  Meaning God is in the collection of Many.  God is within us, and our collective thoughts and prayers have enormous power. 

I think all of this is relevant, because of what is happening with one of my long-time online friends and her daughter.  My friend Joy has spent the last several days in the hospital with her daughter Grace, who has been having elevated liver enzymes levels after an overdose on Tylenol.  The doctors have been discussing the possibility of liver failure and transplant.  Joy had been asking for prayers on facebook, and keeping us up to date on what is going on.  I know there are large groups of us collectively praying for Grace and for Joy and her family.

After days and days of worrying, Joy was finally told last night that Grace's enzyme levels are dropping.  We are continuing to pray that her levels will drop to a normal functioning level, and that Grace will be out of the woods of danger.

There is no doubt in my mind that the power of collective prayer is helping Grace to heal.  If you could send out a thought/prayer for Grace and Joy & family, please take a moment to do so.   Whether you believe or not, what could it hurt?  I feel it could help a great deal.   

hello... is there anybody out there?

well... I have decided to try my hand at blogging.  some of you know me already....

but I guess I will introduce myself for those of you that do not.

I am Marie.. some call me Ree, some call me Reeners.  I am 30 years old... my 31st birthday is in 8 days.

I have two boys. 
Aidan is 10... well he'll be 11 on the 20th of this month.  he is autistic, and I'm sure sometimes I will be writing about that and everything that goes with it.  [that will NOT be the focus of this blog, however]  Aidan loves legos, transformers, power rangers, and acting out his favorite movies/cartoons [his current obsessions include smurfs and puss in boots.]  he is in 5th grade, and I am struggling to come to terms with the fact that he will be in middle school next year. 

Connor is 7.  he loves to dance and is obsessed with Michael Jackson.  I'm also getting him interested in the Beatles =)  at age two, he proclaimed himself a vegetarian- but he eats bacon and pepperoni.  lol  I think he just doesn't like chicken or beef because he does refuse to eat them.  mostly he just eats veggies, fruits, lots of beans, peanut butter, yogurt, cheese... he eats probably healthier than anyone in the house.  Connor loves to read and hates to miss school.  he is also seriously ADHD- and my decision to put him on meds so he can focus at school was one I struggled with, and probably one of the smartest I've ever made.  it has made a WORLD of difference.

I was married to their dad but left him in November of 2007.  I moved myself and my boys in with my mom and dad  - I was in school full time and did NOT want to stress bills.  The decision to leave Joe was one that was a long time coming... he was verbally abusive and had SERIOUS anger management issues.  even if I could take him screaming at me, I could not let my boys grow up thinking that was normal.

I met Robbie at school- we had a speech class together.  we sat next to each other and flirted, but didn't actually start dating until after that class was over and we didn't have a class together anymore.  our first date was to the Reggae Festival [2008] that takes place at the water tower every year on Memorial Day weekend, and we go back every year now as a celebration of our "anniversary".  This years festival will be the fifth we've been to together.

I finished school in June of 2010- I hold a bachelor's degree in Interior Design that I don't really use.  haha isn't that the case for most of us?  There were no jobs when I graduated.  While I was in school I worked the paint desk at Lowe's for 3 years.  I probably would've stayed there if they hadn't cut me back to only 16 hrs a week.  I did a six month stint selling furniture- what a nightmare that was.  I finally decided to go back into the world of paint, and applied at Sherwin Williams.  I went through their management training program [which you have to have a bachelor's degree to get into, so I guess I'm KIND OF using my degree lol] and am now the Assistant Marketing Manager of one of the oldest Sherwin Williams stores in Louisville.  [its been open 30 years!]

I've finally gotten to a point where I am financially stable, and Robbie and I are [finally] getting ready to move in together.  in the next month or so I am going to be spending all my free time painting and moving!  and I am SUPER excited about it!


this blog is going to have a wide range of topics... anything from autism, to art, to design/architecture, whatever I feel about the latest book i'm reading, cooking/weight loss adventures... raising two kids... whatever strikes my fancy to write about.  There may be step-by-step DIY tutorials from time to time- I love to share creative processes with others.  I hope some of you enjoy reading whatever I decide to write about...