The Samway Scene

Vintage Simple

2010-06-01T22:34:00.003-05:00

This would be my new favorite blog!!! HELLO!! Can I just move into this kitchen! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE everything about it. I could make a HUGE list of my favs starting with the butcher block counter top. Let's not forget the apron front sink, the leaded glass window, the tin tile backsplash. I could go on and on. Oh Maria, you could come rescue my kitchen any day!

A Celebration!

2009-06-28T05:39:00.002-05:00

We begin this day anew. Many wonderful memories of you. A time to thank you for everything you have done. We've been through it all and you came out shining in the end! The Lord's presence with you Dad. We know there are things you still wanted to do on this Earth, but God had better plan's for you. We know that you are safely in his arms and can no longer feel any pain from the sickness. We know you only have Joy. You were a strong man and I am privileged to be your daughter and carry on for you. Love you Daddy--rest in peace--06/27/2009

Moo Shu Chicken

2009-05-25T14:27:00.003-05:00

We are so tired of eating the same ole' thing! And with summer break upon us, I needed some new quick recipes to feed the family. It is so hard to find new recipes everyone likes and feed two teenage boys on a budget! With the day off, I decided to go through a few old clippings and try some new recipes.

We devoured this one so quickly--I couldn't get a picture of it. We LOVED IT!! It's a keeper! I consequently started a black binder with the new ones that are golden!

Moo Shu Chicken

1 Tbl. dark Oriental sesame oil
6 scallions, sliced
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 bag (16 oz.) coleslaw mix
1 bag (10 oz.) short-but cooked chicken strips, cut in thinner strips
1/3 cup bottled hoisin sauce
2 Tbl. lite soy sauce
1 pkg. 6 in. flour tortillas (8 in pgk.)

1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, garlic and coleslaw mix; saute 3 minutes. Add chicken, hoisin sauce and soy sauce; cook one minute until hot. Remove heat from heat.
2. Meanwhile, place tortillas between damp paper towels. Warm in microwave according to directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture on each torilla and roll up.

THEY ARE SO YUMMY!!

One of my favorite blogs!

2009-05-05T09:00:00.007-05:00

I ABSOLUTELY love this blog! Layla Palmer is an inspiration! She's celebrating her one year anniversary with a giveaway! Hope I can post the links for it!

She can come decorate my house anytime! I wish I lived next door to get help decorating!

And make sure you find her friend Grace's etsy shop here:

Just a little advice. . .

2009-03-08T21:25:00.004-05:00

Here is a picture of my kitchen. When our house was moved to this location in about 1985, the owner had a custom kitchen put in. Granted, it's not a kitchen for 2009, but it functions well. I am debating whether I should paint the cupboards. You know, that gorgeous french white cottage look. I think they would look so clean and make the space look bigger. I want to put beadboard on the sides of the island too. I found a gorgeous backsplash--and for now, I could only do the backsplash, not the countertops. I am having trouble uploading the pic--but if you google American Olean Cache Tile, you will see the gorgeous blue/smoky mink harlequin tile. As many of you know, I work at a furniture/floor covering store and I get a FABULOUS discount--and even at my price, the tiles are OUTRAGEOUS! (Oh and as much as I would LOVE to adopt you so you can have the discount, I really can't. You really don't know how many times I am asked that--or if they can be my husband. Well, uh sorry--I've had the discount since I married him--I'm the one who lucked out.)

Anyway, I love to paint, decorate, etc.--but painting these cupboards is a HUGE leap for me--WHAT IF I MESS UP! Any advice will be appreciated.

My other job!

2009-03-03T12:06:00.003-06:00

As some of you well know, my love for decorating has taken me on a couple different paths. I started with AtHome America in 2002--just wanting to make extra income and work around the boys' busy, busy schedules! This was just the ticket! I had applied at the local paint/wallpaper store but would have to work Saturday mornings. At the time, I was coaching soccer and this just wouldn't do with two boys. I went to my first party on a fluke. My friend was just inviting a few people over just to help her friend out. Yep, only two of us showed. I don't even thing the party was big enough for her to get any credit. But I knew this was something I could do.

It took Jan a few months to convince me to start, but when I learned I didn't have to invest anything and could start for FREE--I had nothing to lose. So I took the plunge. It was amazing! People were loving the products and I could work when I chose!! Yipee! It was the best of both worlds!

AtHome America is a very gracious company. I love everything they stand for and what they have contributed to my family as well as other families across the nation. My website is at the right. Head on over and take a look at what's new! If you are interested in a party, having a book party or just want to shop from the 'net, feel free!! You can also get free information from AHA to start for FREE in March.

Look what I made!

2009-02-19T19:45:00.004-06:00

We had extension club last night and we try to do something fun each month. We went to do ceramics. I decided to make a Chocolate Easter Bunny! I have seen these online--very pricey. I thought I would try this and plus--I knew it would be easy!! He is so darn cute!!! Best of all, the bunny, paint & tax was only $5.89!! LOVE IT!! I want to go back! It is addicting! All he needs now is a cute basket, easter eggs & grass!!

Chocolate Billionaires!

2008-12-07T22:04:00.004-06:00

The finished product!

Waiting for chocolate almond bark!

Pecans and crushed rice krispies!

It took longer to unwrap the caramels than it did to melt them!

Does the economy have you down? Well, try these AMAZING Chocolate Billionaires! I found these at Heritage School House blogspot. They are EASY & DELICIOUS! What a fabulous combination! (Okay, the pictures are BACKWARDS!! It's late and I'm not dealing with my wonky computer!)

Chocolate Billionaires
3 dozen

1 (14 ounce) package caramels
3 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup crushed crisp rice cereal
1 package chocolate bark

Melt caramels and water in microwave until you can stir easily; stir until smooth. Mix in pecans and cereal. Cover cookie sheets with wax paper. Drop candy by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Put cookie sheets in refrigerator until candy hardens (about 30 minutes). Melt chocolate bark in microwave. Using a fork, dip candy into chocolate bark, turning to coat all sides. Place candy on sheets of wax paper on the counter to harden. Enjoy!

He sees you when you're sleeping!

2008-12-06T07:50:00.004-06:00

This Santa is supposed to grace a doorknob, but with a chocolate lab who's still a 'pup' there is NO WAY he is going to be her next chew toy! I put in on the door of my armoire in the bedroom.

AtHome America sold these about seven years ago and it's one of my Christmas favs!

Have a great weekend--the decorating and celebrating has just begun!!

Silent Night

2008-12-06T07:39:00.005-06:00

Well, what's a girl to do when all the men in her family go out? DECORATE!!! It was so QUIET around here!! It looks like Christmas exploded at our house!

We don't have a fireplace, so the shabby chic hooks in our bedroom are the perfect place for a couple of stockings. The hooks are usually reserved for ball caps. (Yep, I have to make this feminine space man friendly, esp. with the TV--ick!)

The nativity was my grandma's. LOVE IT! When you wind it, "The Little Drummer Boy" plays and it turns. This is the PERFECT place for it!

Stay tuned for more pics--my bedroom's not done yet!!

Fun recipes!!

2008-10-30T04:35:00.002-05:00

I love to surf the net! I have not been very active on my own blog since I am lurking the internet looking at all of the wonderful, creative blogs! I found a couple that just have the most scrumptious recipes! And since it's the Fall season, time to bake--I have to store these links somewhere!!

I cannot wait to make some the AWESOME recipe Lisa has a Warm Heart, Cozy Home. The have to be good, she's a Nebraska gal too!

And there is the awesome pie recipe that is on Bunnies' bungalow that I just have to try! And then she goes and adds Pumpkin Cobbler. OOOHHHH my waistline! Better get on that exercise routine to balance it out!!

Decorating Disasters

2008-06-10T10:59:00.003-05:00

Yep, we've all had them! It's not easy to choose the right paint color. Trust me--I know.

I decided a few years ago to paint my bedroom yellow. I thought it would be so cool with a black and white toile bedspread. The minute we put the yellow paint on the walls, it looked green. It was just horrible. See the before pics. But I lived with it for awhile--thinking it was just me being picky. That I could turn this bad situation into a good one.

Well, the only way to do that is a different paint color. So last weekend, I decided I had enough of the lime/yellow walls and it was time to make it a relaxing haven.

Now don't get me wrong. I've had this Cocoa Bean paint swatch on the wall FOREVER waiting to see if I trusted myself again to do this. Well, it turned out to be so AWESOME! I love how warm our room looks and the little touches on the walls. It is so relaxing and calming--LOVE our room!

Purple, violet, plum, lavender, lilac, puce, mauve, amethyst

2008-05-18T11:47:00.003-05:00

No matter which adjective you use, purple has got to be my FAVORITE color for Spring this year. On my way to church this morning, I noticed many beautiful Spring flowers in full bloom. Lilacs are awesome and I even put a nice bouquet together to enjoy. But I noticed that purple this year is the most prominent spring color! I saw gorgeous deep purple iris, very regal violet colored tulips and the most soft lavendar grape hyacinth. I've got to make a mental note to make sure I plant a few of these to enjoy in my own garden.

God Keeps His Promises

2008-05-14T18:32:00.002-05:00

This rainbow was after the rain last Wednesday. The end was seriously almost in our back yard! Love the double rainbow! It's just so awesome I wanted to share!

Heart Sister

2008-05-04T08:02:00.006-05:00

Do you have a special friend who you would choose to be your family? I had a customer yesterday who kept talking about her heart sister. I thought this had to do with a group, like a sorority, church group, etc. I finally asked and she explained that this is the best friend she has had FOREVER and she named her 'heart sister'.

How cool is that? Everyone should have one of these! I know I do! She's the person I turn to for my rock. She levels me out thru good times and bad, we are there for each other. We know everything about each other and still love each other. It's so awesome to have a Heart Sister! I hope you have someone special like that in your life too!

Cleaning

2008-04-29T13:33:00.006-05:00

I'm still in the middle of cleaning. I decided to work on the living room today. At one Tuesday a week, this is a VERY slow process. Marc and the boys have the basement rockin'! You would not believe how spick and span it is! Now it's up to me to de-clutter the upstairs. It's mostly my clutter anyway.

Here are a couple of pics of some of the Spring decorating that goes along with the cleaning!

Spring Cleaning

2008-04-13T14:27:00.003-05:00

I am doing a little Spring Cleaning in my office! Lots of brand new AHA merchandise! Here are a few pics of what I have--some haven't even been out of the box! The wreath is $25.00 plus s/h to the first person to post a comment and the Versatile Vase is BRAND new--never out of the box--and is $15.00 plus s/h.

I'll be posting lots more as I clean--so keep checking!

Midnight Hide and Seek

2008-03-29T04:43:00.002-05:00

Raising boys is so interesting. Never a dull moment. I knew when Tanner was born, I was meant to play with cars and trucks. We had Power Rangers instead of Barbies. And the things they come up with--well, the biggest thing ever around here is Midnight Hide and Seek. Yep,we live on an acre right across from a housing addition. Tons of cedar trees and great places to hide. We are the neighborhood 'hot spot' for Midnight Hide and Seek. Strange thing is--it MARCH! Not June or July with humid nights, fireflies and mosquitos. Five boys were running around last night outside in hoodies and ski masks. Totally Hilarious! Oh, and it's not something they 'outgrow'. At almost 16--you can tell by the tracker below, Tanner was outside with Dylan and his buds!

Praising His Name!!

2008-03-22T07:23:00.002-05:00

This Easter Weekend, not only are we praising God for his son, Jesus Christ--we are so thankful for His work in our lives!!

Many of you may know my 80 year old Dad was diagnosed with cancer. UGH--the C word. Just hate the thought of it! It's one of those things that you are caught between a rock and a hard place--most literally! Either way, treament or no treatment--you are sick. I absolutely HATE the thought of him suffering.

ANYWAY, after numerous tests, his cancer has NOT spread! He does not have a growth in his chest! It is localized and we are so thankful! He started chemo on Thursday, and bless his heart, he's worried about losing his hair. And for those of you that don't know him, he's had a Marine haircut all his life AND wears a hat! We'll never be able to tell!

He's always been a survivor--never backed down to ANYTHING in his life and now he's going to give the ugly old C word a GOOD FIGHT! He's got a great attitude, a family who loves him and and the good Lord in his corner! Get ready for a Knockout! You can do it Dad!!! We're cheering for ya!

You Gotta Love Oprah!

2008-02-26T18:23:00.004-06:00

One of the perks of my new job is that I get Tuesdays off!! I usually keep busy running errands, cleaning the house and having an AtHome America party!

But today was different! I happened to surf to see what was on Ellen or Oprah and HOLY COW! It was none other than RICK SPRINGFIELD! I may not be 15 anymore--but OH BABY! He is still a hottie! (Sure, he's probably had some work done--who cares!) And yes, if I would have been there--I would have been one of those 30ish women in the audience freaking out! Of course I DVR'd it! It's not everyday you get a flashback to your youth!

Home Sweet Home

2008-02-24T07:40:00.003-06:00

Here's a post of our home. I took this in '06 because we had an amazing Fall with TONS of pumpkins in our garden. The mums looked beautiful! It was a glorious gardening year!

I've got Spring Fever. So ready to Spring Clean--which starts today--but more importantly, I'm ready to garden. I need to smell the dirt and get my fingers dirty!

With starting a new job--I now get Tuesdays off. I am so ready to have Tuesdays to myself this Spring to enjoy the quiet time preparing the garden. I've got this cute in little garden sign that reads "The kiss of the Sun for Pardon, The Song of the Bird for Mirth, One is nearer God's Heart in a Garden Than anywhere else on Earth". I LOVE that quote too.

I'm not the best gardener in the world--it's a serious of trial and error. I've had plenty of error! Don't even get me started on the Lamb's Ears I just HAD TO HAVE!! It's time to start thinking about what I want to try this year. A good friend gave me HUGE boxes of Hens and Chicks which laborously divided and planted last year. Cannot wait to see how they fill in the space!

Josie Girl!

2008-02-20T22:08:00.003-06:00

Well, here she is! We got this beautiful Chocolate Lab for Christmas. Her eyes look a little spooky here--so I'll take any photo editing tips!

As I said in my initial blog--the poor thing went through about 10 names! Lola was first! Dylan and I LOVED it! Who wouldn't love a little "Showgirl" dog? Marc and Tanner--that's who. So then we went on to Lucky. As in, she'll be "lucky" she doesn't meet her death on the highway. Sad to say and I'm sorry! We've lost a dog like that and it's hard! So we have her on a short leash! Well, Lucky didn't fit the bill! After a few more tries, we THOUGHT she was going to be Missy! I LOVE it! Cute name for a dog. Marc just couldn't grasp it. He hated telling people he got a dog and when they asked the name, he just didn't like the response he got from Missy. Just fell flat. He started to call her his "baby girl"--I couldn't go there. She had to have a NAME!

We really have had A LOT of dogs. And if I started to go through the names of dogs we used to have--you would not believe it! Ginger, Molly, Daisy, Ruby, Tucker, Gooch oh my goodness! Have we went through too many to come up with yet another name?

All of a sudden, we just new--Josie! Dylan's not hooked on it--but it fits. It is just her! She looks at me with those eyes and yep, she's a Josie! Some days, she may be called Naughty Girl, sometimes Josie Girl or Josie Posie. And she'll probably be called a choice word once in a while! Like when she chewed up my dress shoes! UGH! But Josie's a KEEPER and we like her that way!

The Main Event!

2008-02-19T06:47:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to start a blog for sometime now! But where to start? First a name! It's hard to find a good name for a blog. It's not like I'm naming one of my children, or a dog. (It took us about 10 names before we found one for our new puppy--more on that one later!) I wanted something cool--like a newspaper? Or a rock band? But hey, I can't be calling it the "Samway Strip" or "Samway Spread"--we aren't THAT KIND OF BLOG!

What about a cool name like a rock band? Bon Jovi comes to mind--but what the heck do you do with Samway. We really aren't a rock band--except Tanner seems to be the one who should be in one with all that HAIR!

What about after a TV show? Oprah, Rachel Ray--these successful people use their names--so Samway had to be in the title! So after much deliberation, I went for "The Samway Scene". You know, sort of like part of a movie or TV show! After all--some days, it is a romantic comedy around here while other days are clearly a soap opera! So come visit our own REALITY SERIES on this blog where I am the DIRECTOR! My family are the STARS! And we give thanks every day to our PRODUCER--Jesus Christ and our CREATOR! Remember HE is IN CHARGE!! SO when you read my blog what I hope you remember is that "Life is not a dress rehearsal! This IS the Main Event!"