Three or More Tuesday – Roosters

Greetings everyone, it is Tuesday, and it is that time for "Three or More - Tuesday"!! Our delightful hostess is Tam over at The Gypsy's Corner.

Today, I would like to share a few of my feathered friends that are nesting around my kitchen...

Please do not forget to stop by The Gypsy's Corner to see what everyone is sharing. Tam hosts this event every Tuesday. If you would like to participate, but are unable to do so today, there is always next week!!

Nicole~

Three or More Tuesday – Signs

Happy Tuesday everybody!! Our fantastic hostess, Tam over at The Gypsy’s Corner is hosting "Three or More - Tuesday". If you would like to participate, drop in and visit her for all of the details.
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Signs have become a popular form of art used in many households today. They come in so many different sizes, shapes, colors, words, and even expressions.


Over the weekend I purchased yet another sign for my house. I thought "Three or More - Tuesday" would be a good time to share it along with a few other signs I have hanging around my house.

I purchased this one at Kirkland's. I have always admired it, but for some reason never purchased it until now.

I got this one at Hobby Lobby sometime ago.

I also got this one at Hobby Lobby about a year ago.

OK, I am beginning to see a theme here!!! This one came from Hobby Lobby several years ago too!

So did this one!!! OK, I should just go ahead & say it, "Hi my name is Nicole, and I am a Hobby Lobbyaholic!!!"

When I got back yesterday from visiting my uncle for Easter, I came back to a wonderful surprise. There were the first three open blooms on my Don Juan climbing rose bush........

Perfect for Three or More Tuesday...........

Do not forget to stop by The Gypsy’s Corner to see what everyone else is sharing today.

Nicole~

Foodie Friday: Taco Soup

Hello and welcome!! The best day of the week has circled its way back to us, yeah, it is FRIDAY!!


Are you hungry?? I hope so, because we have a delightful hostess who will be guiding us on a food fair that you will not want to miss. Stop by Designs by Gollum to see what's cookin'.

Have you ever been hungry for something, but you are not really sure what it is that you want?? And, maybe you do not really feel like cooking a complete meal? I have just the thing for you. Again this week I come without an exact recipe, so lets just throw some stuff together.

I really like all types of soup, so today we will have a soup that is very similar to a taco soup. Start searching your pantry & refrigerator for the following items: Ground Meat, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, beans, corn, taco seasoning, chili powder, salt & pepper.

Brown your meat. Then I add a little olive oil since I typically buy a 96% ground meat/4% fat mixture of ground meat. Add your onion, garlic, taco seasoning, chili powder, salt & pepper. Add about a cup of water and simmer a few minutes.

Lastly add another cup of water, diced tomatoes, beans & corn. At this point I add more of the above seasonings because I like it with lots of flavor. Also, I prefer my soup with black beans instead of chili beans, but all I have in my pantry are chili beans.

Cover & let the soup simmer about 45 minutes or so.

Top off your soup with some crushed tortilla chips & shredded cheese if you have any on hand. This is so simple, and it tastes pretty good. You can make your own variation by adding, deleting or substituting other ingredients.

Do not forget to stop by Designs by Gollum, I know that you all will definitely find something that is to mouth-watering to pass up!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!!

Nicole~

Happy 7th Birthday to Me!!

Today is my Birthday, and boy has it been one great day for me!!! Finally, my mommy is letting me do my own post all by myself to tell you about it......


I had my own birthday party, can you believe how much I am loved????

I usually do not get to eat any of that yummy human food, can you believe how strict my mommy is?? Maybe since it is my birthday & if I will beg really hard I might get a teeny, tiny small taste, maybe??

Or, a lick would be fine too..................

Yeah!!! She finally gave in and let me have a whole bite of cupcake, can you believe it??

Boy that was so yummy... These humans really get to eat some great stuff!!!

Looky, I got all of these toys for my birthday......

Birthdays are so much fun for me, look how much I love this stuff.

It has been one great day, but all of the festivities have worn me out!!! Thank you Audrey, Barbara & Mimi for celebrating my birthday with me. Oh yeah, and the new toys are pretty cool too!!

I would love to show you more, but I need to get some rest since I did not take my afternoon nap. Thank you for letting me share my birthday with you.....

Bentley~~

Foodie Friday: Making Dinner w/Staples on Hand

Hello, and welcome to the best day of the week, FRIDAY!! Not only is Friday wonderful for obvious reasons, but it is also a great day for another good reason, food. Our hostess today on this wonderful culinary adventure is over at Designs by Gollum. Stop by to see what is on everyone’s menu today.


Well, it all started with a pound of ground beef that needed to be cooked. I thought about what I had on hand & came up with the idea to make little muffin loafs. I just made up that name because I do not have a recipe. Keep in mind I am one of those people who does not really use a recipe, I just sort of add a little of this, and a little of that. Also, my friends, Barbara & Buck were coming over this evening to let me borrow their pressure washer. So, I thought I would return the favor & make them dinner.

After taking inventory I came up with the following simple menu: Muffin loafs, Zucchini/Squash, potato bake (I made up that name too) & green beans.

While browning the ground meat I added sea salt, ground peppercorn & a basil/garlic seasoning. I then added green onions/chives, garlic & olive oil. Last I added spaghetti sauce & let this simmer for a bit.

I then got some crescent rolls & smushed them in the bottom and up the sides of a muffin tin. I added my ground meat mixture, diced tomatoes, and topped it off with some shredded cheese.

I sliced up a zucchini & squash added sea salt, ground peppercorn, basil/garlic seasoning, green onions/chives & topped off with butter (Smart Balance). I always cover my veggies with tin foil while they bake.

I then took my frozen potatoes from Schwan's & put them in the oven on 450 degrees for 12 minutes or so. Since they were frozen I needed to speed up the cooking process.

I then took them out of the oven & mixed in a couple of tablespoons of sour cream, seasonings & butter. Then topped it off with shredded cheese & onions/chives. I also cover my potatoes with tin foil while they bake.

The last thing on the menu was to prepare the green beans. I always use the Italian green beans. I drained about half the juice out of the can & then transferred them into a baking dish. I then added vinegar, seasonings, garlic & green onions/chives.

I put all of these items in the oven together and cooked it about 25 minutes or so at 350 degrees.

It is amazing what simple things you can come up with just by shopping your own kitchen! Here was my end result:

Do not forget to stop by Designs by Gollum to see what everyone else is cooking. I promise that your taste buds will be screaming in delight!!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!

Nicole’

Tablescape Thursday

Good evening everyone, welcome to my little gathering. This is my very first time to join Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Napkin rings are such a nice accent to a table setting. It is amazing how many shapes, sizes, colors, and styles they come in. I got these rose napkin rings at Bed, Bath & Beyond several years ago. Yes, I did use my 20% coupon on them.

I adore these plates!!! I got them a couple of weeks ago at the Home Goods store, and they were only $3.99 each. Unfortunately they only had four of them. I would love to have two more for a complete set. What a wonderful excuse to go back in a month or so!

I got this centerpiece for free!! Well, it was free, but not really. One of our local stores has a customer rewards program, and I used my accumulated points to get it. I got the sprays at Christmas time, and just added them to the candle holder.

Can you believe how pretty this Hibiscus is?? I think every table needs fresh flowers, so I went out to my front yard and clipped a few flowers. I think the bird on the right hand side thinks that the Hibiscus has fragrance, but unfortunately they do not!

Every table needs a good bottle of wine on it!!

I hope you enjoyed the evening. Please stop by Susan's fabulous home to link up with the other participants.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Nicole~