Saturdays with Southern Living at HOME - Rock Me Like a Hurricane

Welcome to another edition of Saturday's with Southern Living at HOME (now Willow House)! It's month-end and that means it is a work day for me. I did manage to take a break in the afternoon to put together a few looks for our Hemingway Hurricane.

I grabbed a wire basket (sorry it's a retired item) and shopped from the house to see what all I could come up with and then I headed out back so BBC could get in a little swim time while I worked (OK - it was really play for me, too!). See that cute little button fern in the ugly plastic pot from the store? Let's dress that up first!

I always have a few tricks up my sleeves. I'm going to use the pot the fern is in and bright green reindeer moss. I need something for my fern to sit on so I turned a votive holder upside down in the bottom of the hurricane, sat the fern on top, and filled around with the moss. I use less moss this way, too!

Voila! Isn't that one of the cutest ferns ever?

I like to host little coffee chats with friends as well as potential recruits. I also love brunches - especially this time of year. So I'm going to make an aromatic display that will be perfect for just such an occasion!

First let's start with trick number two. Hurricanes and lots of other glass pieces aren't level on the bottom. So I grabbed a lid and turned upside down to level out the bottom. Then I placed a white pillar candle on the lid and filled with coffee beans around the candle - I chose French Vanilla for an extra yummy scent.

Wanna come over and chat and sip coffee with me?

OK - now that you know some of my tricks, we are going to start moving a little faster now. What if we swapped out the coffee for some sand? And added a few friends from the sea?

Love it! This is getting me more excited about Cancun!

Hey - who's that in my picture?

Silly boy, don't you know momma is trying to work?

Dress up store-bought lemonade!

This is probably my favorite out of all looks today. I think I could hear the Leave it to Beaver music in the background as I was carrying this out the door! DH wasn't that impressed but BBC was totally excited about the treat! That makes it all worth while!

Southern Sippers glasses, rimmed with lemon and dipped in sugar pulled together on the Jamestown Tray. Makes you want to have some friends over, doesn't it?

Well I hope you have enjoyed my hurricane adventures featuring our Hemingway Hurricane! You know I'm always on the lookout for new ideas! How do you use your hurricane? Please leave a comment with your ideas!

Oh and that reminds me - the winner for the $50 gift certificate is Kendra! I will be in touch soon to get your order. I put all the names on paper and had BBC draw. He was so excited and wanted to draw again and again. I wish I could give everyone a gift certificate today. I can't do that but you can earn FREE products by hosting a HOME, CATALOG, or BLOG party! Ask me how!

~Southern Fried Gal

Show Us Where You Live - BBC's Room

It's time for another room tour over at Kelly's! Today we are looking at nurseries and children's rooms. I totally agree with Kelly - children's rooms are a lot of fun! So without further ado, let's check out BBC's little corner of the universe!

This is the view as you enter the room. I guess the theme was originally transportation? He loves dump trucks, excavators, fire engines and trains - oh my! I guess typical boy stuff. I love his bright bedding and tried to pull the colors into the paint and pops of red. There is supposed to be a rug by the bed with roadways to break up all that carpet. I realized after he went to bed that he has rolled it up and put in the closet again. So it didn't make it into the picture. I guess it is his room and I pick my battles - ha!

His room has a dormer window. I think that is so cool for a little boy with all the interesting angles and hiding places. Some days he just sits on the chest and watches all the activity out the window. There is a huge oak tree just outside so there is always lots of activity with the squirrels and birds.

Here's where mom's theme starts to fall apart and BBC's personality begins to shine through. There used to be a Thomas Train Table beneath the train poster. That was replaced at Christmas with the castle. He is very imaginative and has little battles and stuff. The TV comes and goes based on behavior and/or mom's mood. The dresser is borrowed and can't be touched for now. The plan is to give him our furniture when he is a bit older and then I (er, I mean we) can get new furniture for the master.

This is a fun little wall grouping. I found this neat little shadow box/shelf at TJ Maxx when I was putting together the nursery. It used to hold little keep sakes of his until the little monkey started climbing. So I had to put those away and replace with toys. There is still a little picture of him as a peanut (ultrasound) and a Max Lucado - You are Special - book in the middle shelf. Daddy reads a Bible story from the special books above each night before bedtime. I love this little routine!

I love this corner because you can see his eclectic interests!. There's a moon on the wall. A Cookie Monster wearing a knight's shield and a pirate's treasure chest. Some manly power tools (and hand held vac - I'm raising him to be a great husband - hee hee), a book bag with library books, and an electric guitar. Looking at all this makes me smile!

Green Chile Chicken Quesadillas

Need a super easy meal idea? I am excited to share one of my original recipes. This is a meal that my husband raves about every time I cook it. The best part is it is super easy!

Green Chile Chicken Quesadillas
3 frozen boneless chicken breasts
1 can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
1 can Rotel (tomato and chile mixture)
1 can diced Green Chiles
Flour tortillas
Shredded Cheese (I use 4 cheese blend)

Place frozen chicken in crockpot and top with can of enchilada sauce and rotel. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour and then low for 3 hours. (I'm guessing here. I usually start this in the morning and do high for one hour and then turn to low for the remainder of the day.) When it is ready, shred chicken with fork.

BONUS - this chicken is a great base for several other uses. Sometimes I throw in corn and black beans for a southwestern soup. Sometimes I use in enchiladas. Mostly I use in my quesadillas as described below.

For quesadillas, drain juices off chicken. I usually just brown my quesadillas in a non-stick skillet. (They are much tastier when buttered and then browned if you are up for a splurge!) I layer half of each tortilla with cheese, chicken mixture, green chiles, cheese, and tortilla. Having cheese on both sides helps keep it all glued together. Brown on both sides.

I use a pizza cutter to slice them up. Garnish as desired. The boys like them with sour cream and I have to throw a few jalapenos in the mix. Serve with mexi-corn or refried beans and rice to make it a meal! We usually have a big dinner one night and then a hearty lunch a day or so later, so you get two meals for the price of one!

Saturdays with Southern Living at HOME - Late Edition and Giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks!

OK, so it isn't Saturday but still wanted to get this week's edition out even if a little late. I think you all know by now that you can get any of our magazine subscriptions for major savings through me. You also probably realize that this is the last week to choose your FREE gift with a $29.95 purchase. I just wanted to make sure I shared these great deals one more time this month!

I'm still moving into my new computer and don't have easy access to all my pictures just yet. I don't have product photos handy and because I always love new ideas, I am hosting a $50 Southern Living at HOME gift certificate* giveaway this week!!! You can enter several ways. Be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each that you do in order to have multiple entries counted.

1. View our online catalog and pick a product that catches your eye. Then post a comment with the product name, page number, and what you would do with the product.

2. Write a post with a link back to this giveaway post on your blog. Be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment with your post link.

3. Subscribe to this blog. Leave a SEPARATE comment letting me know you are a subscriber.

4. Inquire about hosting a Southern Living at HOME blog party. To earn additional entry for this action send your inquiry with your blog name, your name, and your zip code to j.fryar (at) comcast.net.

This giveaway will remain open through 8 pm CDT on Friday, May 29th. Winner will be announced on Saturday's post. Good luck!

*Gift certificate is valid for SLAH purchases through me only and can be used toward product, shipping/handling, and taxes. Sorry, this offer valid only for US residents. In lieu of $50 gift certificate, winner may choose from Jackson Square Tray ($49.95 value), Gail Pittman Brio Bowl ($44.95 value), or Cinnabar Baker ($37.95 value).

Happy Memorial Day!

Thank you to everyone who has given their lives for our freedom.

May we never forget.

God bless the USA!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Dining Room

It's Friday so that means we are going on home tours again! Today we'll be looking at dining rooms. I am a little embarrassed to show you my dining room but also excited to just keep it real for you! So here we go...

This is the view as you walk into my home and turn right. This room is actually in the middle of a project so the walls are mostly bare. The only reason you see that one print over in the corner is because DH was helping me clean last weekend and decided to give a try at decorating. There was already a nail there so he put the picture to get it out of the way.

I love the hutch. I used to stock it full of my boring white china and keep all these beautiful products in storage but decided it would be better to put away the china and display these beautiful pieces. I like storage to be beautiful and functional. These are the items I use for entertaining and it is so much nicer to grab them out of here instead of storage. And I love the pop of color it adds to the room!

This is one of two floor to ceiling windows in the room. This room is opposite the living room and looks out over the front yard. These windows are bare for now but will soon have window treatments!

We just finished the family room project and this room is next on the big project agenda. I started adding this wall design a few months back but the project stalled when DH and I had design conflicts. These are put on with wall mud and are a raised design. Don't you think they will be gorgeous when completed?

DH wants this room painted orange and I'm not sure if I can go there. I want it painted blue as that is my new addiction. I am trying to compromise with orange wall paint and silk draperies with orange and blue to tie it all together. But I am just not convinced we are going to be able to go there.

I would love your opinion - what do you think about an orange dining room? The other colors downstairs are chocolate brown (foyer), a golden wheat color (living room and den) and green (kitchen).

What's been going on...

Image courtesy Dell.com

Yippee! My new computer is here. I have been without a computer for one week and it has been so hard. I don't realize how much I depend on it until I don't have it at my fingertips. I even had to go to the library to do a little work one day - oh the horror!

Seriously it turned into a fun time because it was BBC's first visit and he LOVED it. We ran into some friends there and then he got to check out four books. We went upstairs to the computer room and he sat there quietly for over an hour and studied those books while I knocked out a few things. I was so proud! We even went back again yesterday to turn in those books and get some new ones. We are going to join the summer reading program and we are both excited!

I have lots of blog business to get back to like announcing the winner of The Middle Mom book. And the winner is Heather! I will be in contact to get your name/address information so we can get the book in the mail to you! Thank you to everyone that is helping spread the word about this book!

I received my first bloggy award ever a couple of weeks ago from Mommyto3andahusky! I was tickled pink and I'm so excited! Thank you again! I want to pass it along but know I will leave out someone that I love. So if you have a lovely blog and want to grab this award please feel free to do so - you know who you are!

I also have lots of replying to do on all the wonderful comments you have left. If you sent me an email in the last two weeks and I haven't responded, please resend to me because I lost some email when my computer went down and I haven't been able to retrieve them thus far.

To officially get back into the blog groove I will be posting dining room pictures tomorrow to join in on the Show Us Where You Live party at Kelly's! Let me know if you join so I can be sure to check you out!

Our TOADal Story

Remember Todd? BBC fished this toad out of the pool and promptly named him Todd for some reason. He told me a very windy story about how he got lost from his family while playing hide and seek. It took me a while to convince him to let him go and I told him he would probably be back.

Next day we came outside and there were four toads in the pool. BBC was so excited that Todd found his family and brought them over for a swim. According to him it was his mom, dad, and brother. His dad seemed a little lazy because he was riding around on mom's back. Ewww! BBC fished them all out and let them go on the back side of the yard.

DH came home later that evening and we were telling him about all the toads that we fished out. You can see our pool looked like a pond due to the monsoon season and not being able to keep it balanced. I think he thought I was nagging to get it cleaned up. Maybe I was. At any rate, I noticed a long black cord in the bottom of the deep end. I asked DH what he thought it was from - we figured it was something that blew in from one of the storms.

So skip ahead past a few very rainy days to last Friday. BBC and I ventured out in the afternoon to find SEVEN toads in the pool. This time I fished them out and put them out even farther in the yard thinking they for sure would not venture back in.

DH came home later in the day and went to clean out a skimmer. He squealed and jumped back when he opened it. (Sorry to bust you out, babe, but you did.) I came to investigate and found SEVEN toads in the skimmer. It looked like the same crew that I fished out earlier in the day.

At this point I was tired of fishing toads out of the pool so I dug around in the storage chest and found a mesh bag. I fished the toads out one by one and put them all in the bag. I made DH drive me over to one of the lakes. I got out and walked down the road with the toads in stow. A couple were walking ahead of me and the toads were being quite noisy. The man turned around I confessed to having a bag full of toads. I told him I was tired of fishing them out of the pool so I was relocating them to a nice new home. He thought I was a TOADal weirdo. I guess I am but I didn't have the heart to dispose of them and did not want them in my pool again . I found a shallow area that fed into the lake. It looked like toad heaven. DH chuckled as he told me he thought they would just become a nice meal for a snake or turtle. At least that would serve a purpose. At any rate, I don't expect to see them in my pool again.

At this point if you are easily grossed out OR if you plan to swim in our pool this summer you may want to stop reading here. But if you are a brave soul and must continue on, remember I warned you!

So on Saturday DH was out vacuuming the bottom of the pool. He tried to get the black cord up but it kept breaking. He thought it was weird but kept going until he finally got it all off the bottom of the pool. He also found a weird gel with black dots in the skimmer earlier and wasn't sure what it was. Then he put two and two together to figure out that the black cord was toad eggs. Double ewww! Of course I came in and googled a toad's life cycle (don't you love google) and sure enough that is what it was. It made for an interesting science lesson for all of us.

Can you say TOADally DISGUSTING? Now I am TOADally glad I relocated those suckers!

On a bright note, the pool is blue again and the water is clear and beautiful. DH started balancing out this evening and I am certain we will be swimming by weekend. Thank the good Lord for chemicals! What plans do you have for the long weekend?

Frog, Cog, and Fab Blog

Image Courtesy MyRecipes.com

I just love coming up with titles for these posts! Images of Carnac the Magnificent just came to mind (did I really just date myself like that). I guess the question to my title would be - What are an upcoming post topic, my computer, and MyRecipes.com.

So sometimes I crack myself up (and only myself) but after all it is my blog, right? I can see DH rolling his eyes now. BTW - he found out I have been mentioning him in posts so he has become a regular reader now. Hello, sweetie!

Seriously, I have a HILARIOUS frog story to tell you, well really it is a toad story but it was impossible to find a rhyming scheme with toad. I hope to post it in the next day or so. The cog is my DEAD computer. We put a fix in place a couple of months back and knew we needed to order a new one. DH finally placed the order last Wednesday and I haven't been able to log in to the old one since Thursday morning - what are the odds? My new computer won't be in for a couple of weeks so I will have to beg, borrow, and pray between now and then.

And finally the meat of this post. Have you heard of MyRecipes.com? I have mentioned and linked to it in other posts but I wanted to take a moment and share a little more about it and what a great resource it is. You know I'm a Southern Living gal through and through. Well this is a one-stop-shop for recipes found in Southern Living and its sister publications (Real Simple, Cooking Light, Coastal Living, Sunset, Health, and All You).

Each day there are 5 featured articles on the front page. The picture in this post caught my eye and was the lead in to Healthy Grilling. We (read DH) did a lot of work to get the pool ready this weekend and Memorial Day weekend is in one week. Grilling and hanging out at the pool basically sums up my summer plans and I'm always on the lookout for new grill recipes - especially healthy ones!

Probably the feature I use most is the recipe search. I try to keep my magazines cleared out and I love knowing I can search this site to find the exact recipe I saw in one of the magazines. Or I can just search for a general recipe. There are tons of great recipes in the database and there are several options for optimizing your search.

Are you in a rut with your menu planning? Why not join a Recipe of the Day Calendar? There are several to choose from. I haven't taken full advantage of this feature, yet, but the Heart Healthy Recipes calendar definitely catches my eye. OK - the chocolate one does, too, but I am really trying to get us on the path to healthier eating!

And that is just the tip of the iceberg! There are so many useful features on this site. I can't even begin to cover them all. In addition to all this, there is an actual blog, too! Please be sure to leave a comment that Southern Fried Gal sent you. Who knows maybe I will be picked to write a guest post!

OK - this is probably officially my longest post ever. If you are still here thanks for enduring and I hope this information has been helpful! I would love to hear what you think! What feature are you most excited about?

Saturdays with Southern Living at HOME - Magazines

Welcome to Saturdays with Southern Living at HOME. I am experiencing technical difficulties with my computer so I am borrowing a computer until my new one comes in. I don't have access to my photos and can't download new ones. This seems like a great opportunity to talk about our magazine subscriptions. I am a magazine freak. I love to look at all the fabulous ideas and recipes in each one. It is of my personal splurges and I can't wait to get a new issue each month. I usually grab a drink (coffee or tea, of course) and sit and go through the entire magazine in one sitting!

I have found that our price on subscriptions is one of the lowest out there. I am currently offering a 10% discount off all our magazine subscriptions so you can pick up any of the following for $17.95 each...

40921 Southern Living (13 issues)
40779 Coastal Living (20 issues)
40993 Real Simple (12 issues)
40922 Cooking Light (24 issues)
40775 Southern Accents (7 issues)
40778 Health (20 issues)
40776 All You (24 issues)
40777 Sunset (12 issues)

My personal favorites are Southern Living (of course!), All You for value conscious ideas and lots of coupons, and Real Simple.

Why not pick up one magazine for yourself and another as a gift?

To place your order please visit my personal website...

Click How to Purchase
Click Continue
Select Carmella Fryar
In the Search box type the magazine number (for example, for All You, type 40776)
Click GO
Select Personal Subscription
Do the previous 3 steps for each magazine you wish to order
Checkout!

Please note your magazine will ship to the name/address supplied in the order. No need to click direct shipping unless you are going to take advantage of the FREE product offer. Your checkout amount and invoice will show $19.95 for each subscription but will be adjusted to $17.95 for each before your card is charged. On average it takes about 8 weeks to get your first issue once your payment has cleared but can take as long as three months depending on where each publication is with their label printing process when the final order is submitted.

For more details, please review page 79 in the online catalog or contact me.

Giveaway - The Middle Mom

A dear friend of mine, Kimberly, gave me a copy of this book, The Middle Mom, last week. This book is written by one of her closest friends that has been involved with foster care and adoption for nearly 20 years. I started reading tonight and didn't stop until I was finished. It is definitely heart-provoking and I love the voice it gives to those in foster situations (children, birth parents, and foster parents).

Here's what Kimberly had to say about the book...

"Whether you have ever considered foster care, this is a book you can connect to. You will be crying and cheering for the fatherless. And more importantly, your faith will be challenged and deepened as you read her story. I believe in the soul of you my friend, beats a nurturing heart. We can all do our part to love the fatherless in this society.

My son, Carson, wrote a song for their daughter on the event of her adoption. The words to the song are written in the book. But, better than that, you can go to the web-site and hear him sing this song. He recorded this song alone in his rent house! He is playing the instruments and does the harmony vocal as well. I know you will be blessed. Thanks for letting me share my heart."

So now to the good news! Kimberly and I are partnering to give away a copy of this book to one lucky reader!

To enter for a chance to win, simply pass on the word about the book via your blog, facebook, or twitter. Be sure to link back to this post so others can enter to win. You will need to leave a comment on this post letting us know how you helped us spread the word! This is the only way we will know how to include you in the drawing! We will hold this giveaway open through 5 pm central this Friday, May 15th. Good luck!

For more information and to order this book, please visit www.themiddlemom.com.

Saturdays with Southern Living at HOME - Cinnabar Baker

Welcome to Saturdays with Southern Living at HOME. This week I am featuring one of my favorite products - our Cinnabar Baker (pg 66). Of course when you hear the name you know it is perfect for casseroles. I used it and all my other Cinnabar pieces last Thanksgiving.

SFG's Famous Sweet Potato Casserole!

Don't just limit yourself to serving warm dishes, this salad is gorgeous in the baker and sure to catch everyone's eye on a buffet!


Or how about creating a soothing candlescape with fresh flowers and either our Jamestown Votives (pg 9) or Abingdon Votives (pg 27) lined down the center?

It also makes a lovely dish to display your soap in your guest bath!

This product is actually quite versatile! Put it in an entryway for a fabulous catchall. Or simply display it in your kitchen for a pop of color! The way I like it best is ***FREE***! And this month you can get it just that way with any $29.95 retail purchase. For more details, check out this flier and contact me j.fryar (at) comcast.net to get details on how to place your order.

Now it is your turn! I am always looking for fresh ideas for our products. How would you use the Cinnabar Baker in your home? Please leave me a comment with your idea!

To view the online catalog please visit to my personal website and click BROWSE. Like the products you see? Why not get it for FREE? Host a home, catalog or BLOG party! Let's chat to explore the possibilities!

Living Room Tour

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is hosting Show Us Where You Live Friday. Last week was the kitchen tour. This week is the Living Room Tour and I'm happy to join in the fun!

This is the main view looking in from the family room (den). This room is at the front of the house and the windows look out into the front yard. I like that this room is neutral and somewhat monochromatic because it lends itself well to changing out with my whims, er, I mean the seasons.

This is the more formal of my two living areas. The accessories in there remind me of our faith and the promise of new life! It's a great room for bible study! Moving from the main view to the left you will find one of my favorite spring decor items - an apothecary jar with reindeer moss and a sweet bird nest with 2 eggs.

Panning to the right more signs of new life - if you look closely, vintage bird egg print on vellum and a precious hospital picture of BBC!

Continuing on to the right. OK - so the fake ficus doesn't exactly reflect new life but needed something to fill up that corner. I think when we repaint a warmer color the room will draw in and feel more cozy and less cool. The wall really isn't as blank as it appears. Just to the left is a huge picture flanked with iron sconces. For some reason I didn't capture that in any of my pictures.

This is the view when you walk in my front door. The living room opens to the family room via these french doors.

And we'll end the tour with a sneak peek at the family room. I just completely overhauled this room and you can check out before and after photos here. I am still tweaking both rooms as we slowly recover from the redo. But no rest for the weary - we are moving onto the next room redo very soon.

Thanks for stopping by my for a visit. Please be sure to leave a comment so I can come visit you, too! And be sure to check out all the beautiful homes on Kelly's tour.

The Old Mill

On Tuesday, I told BBC it was his day and we would do whatever he wanted within reason. His first request was chocolate donuts with sprinkles. I obliged. Next he wanted to go watch planes at the airport. We went over to Central Flying Service to fulfill that request. I asked him what he wanted to do next and he got very excited and requested we go to the...

Old Mill!

It rained most of the week and we needed to get some fresh air. This is a great place for the two of us because he can run around and expend energy and I can enjoy the beautiful scenery. I love to study the plants around and about. It is always fun to see who is hanging out at the Mill. You will see plenty of cameras and it is easy to capture just the right shot. I love it when I spot an artist sketching or painting the scenery. Oh and if it looks familiar, it was in the opening scenes of one of my all-time favorite movies - Gone With the Wind!

It is a replica built in the 1930's as a tribute to Arkansas Pioneers. They have neat little structures made to look natural like this little bridge.

Looks like a step back in time, eh? So relaxing to visit!

And the working wheel and waterfalls make the most soothing sounds.

Great choice, BBC! If you are ever in the North Little Rock, AR area we highly recommend stopping for a visit at the Old Mill!

After a long visit to the Old Mill we headed to the nursery to check out the fish and then home. To round out the day, I convinced the boys to take me to Hot Springs for dinner at Rolando's! Yummy!

It's a New DEN, It's a MONDAY, and I'm feeling...

GOOD!!! Fried brain continues as Michael Buble songs gets remixed in my head. I have pictures to post! There is still a lot of tweaking to do but the bulk of the work is complete! So without further ado and with lots of pictures, let the den reveal begin!

Den Before

(Confession -this was the Christmas shortly after we moved in. We ripped out those brass doors and put in gas logs shortly after but I wanted you to see the total transformation from the getgo! And yes - that is a Billy Big Mouth on the hearth - wasn't married long enough to say not to hubby on design details and still figuring out our (read my) style!)

Den After

Still have lots of tweaking to do with the built-ins. It will be at least a month long process or sickness - however you choose to look at it!

Chair Before - Purple

Chair After
I did a lot better job this go recovering - experience pays off!


Window before

(NOTE: faces have been blurred to protect the innocent - namely me because if DH knew I was posting him and a buddy chilling during a game under the colored blankies I might be in for some trouble)

Window After

NEED YOUR OPINION!

I had originally planned to put this green trim on the curtains to tie in the color of my sofa -what do you think?

Here's one pane with and one without to help you decide.

Big Black Box View

I'm getting rid of this baby this week - woo hoo! I never thought I would want a TV for a anniversary/mother's day gift but after 9 long years with this big black box I'm ready for something a little more subtle. Can't wait to share!

Also - notice that the doors are not back on the built-ins. Can you say project? I'm having trouble convincing DH of my vision. He'll come around and help me and it will be fabulous and I will share!

Corner View

So what do you think? I really like the way it turned out and I am so excited to bring blue into my decor. I've still got to figure out what I'm going to put on the walls and continue to tweak the built-ins. Thanks for your patience! Have a great week!