A Sweet Surprise, Yummy Soup Recipe, and Log Cabins

Today in the mail I received the sweetest surprise from Cindy at Rosehaven. She does the most beautiful photography and sells them as notecards. That is not the flash from my camera on this scene; it is the sun shining through the tree. I love the lilac bush, weathervane, and the white picket fence! You must check out her blog and let her know that I sent you. Cindy has a another blog called Dusting In Pearls that is simply charming. Thanks so much Cindy!

The item to the right of the notecards is an envelope that she made from what looks like a garden magazine page. What a great idea!

Below shows the back side of the envelope. She has so much talent!

I just wanted to let Shelley at Building a Log Cabin know that I have painted log cabins in the past. Please check out her blog. They have built the most amazing cabin in the woods. My husband and I always wanted a cabin, but I guess our lodge room is about as close as we will get. The picture below is a log cabin autumn scene that I painted on a small twig table.

In the next photo I painted our favorite vacation spot "Mt. Elbert Lodge", which is in Twin Lakes, Colorado. This little table sits beside my husband's chair so it's seen a lot of use and needs to be touched up. You can click on the photo to see a closer view, but be warned, it's seen better days.

You can also check out the blog for Mount Elbert Lodge here. We haven't been for a few years and need to get back.

Now here is a recipe for those of you who are experiencing cooler weather:

"Santa Fe Soup"

16 oz. can red beans

16 oz. can black beans

16 oz. can corn

1 large onion chopped

1 lb. of ground round

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies

1 can diced tomatoes

Cook ground beef and onion. Stir in taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix. Add remaining ingredients and heat through.

I usually double it and cook in a large pan. This will definitely warm you up!

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