Cowboy boots

I bought these boots for a steal at DSW. If I'm remembering correctly I couldn't have paid more than $30.00 for them. I knew at the time they were not leather but I thought they were fun. I made the mistake this past Christmas of scooting over while on my knees over a rug. As you can see the tops got worn away.

I was going to get rid of them but I thought maybe I'd paint over the tips.

These are a few ideas I got off the Internet. I decided to go with a simple design on my first try at painting shoes. 

I tried using fabric paint with my first layer. The paint was too transparent, I didn't think multiple coats would help either. I moved on to acrylic paint.  I got the coverage I wanted. Now I can wear the boots again. I don't know if the paint will last. If it doesn't I can always pull out the paint brush and do go to town again. 

Thanks for stopping by

XOXO

Esther

Baked French Toast

I was looking for a recipe on line for a brunch get together I was hosting. I ran across this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I have seen her show on the Food Network. Her recipes are not by any means low fat. She cooks for her family that work on a ranch ...yeah I don't think low fat low calorie foods would keep them going long. I had a feeling this recipe was going to be super yummy.
I read the ingredients and I could just taste the yummies.
Now you see I wrote "I read the ingredients" which is exactly what I meant I read only the ingredients went shopping got what I needed and the day of brunch I read the recipe.

To my surprise the bread was suppose to soak for several hours to overnight. My family was coming in two hours. I almost changed my mind and not make it. But I figured I would soak the bread in the egg mixture as long as possible before I popped it in the oven.

The recipe says you can either cut up the bread in cubes or tear it into pieces. I went for the tearing.
I thought it would give the final look a bit more texture. But I don't think it would make a difference either way. If you are preparing the dish the night before like I was suppose to I guess the tearing of the bread can be rather Zen like.

After the bread soaks for a while in the egg and cream mixture, you add the crumble top.

The whole this gets baked for 45 mins to an hour. The crumble top gets a little crunchy. Just spoon it out and top with powered sugar and a side of fruit.

You don't even need syrup with it. The recipe says you can add fruit just before the crumbles. I might just have to do this recipe again with peaches or apples. YUM

Here is a link to the recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/cinnamon-baked-french-toast-recipe/index.html

Thanks for stopping by
XOXO
Esther

Potato Leek Soup

One of my go to cook books is the Joy of Cooking. I have used it so much that I had to buy a new copy since my first copy kind of fell apart from so much use. Their version of Potato Leek Soup is very simple. I decided to make the soup while I was grocery shopping and didn't actually read the recipe before I went. The recipe calls for 8 leeks whites only. But I only came home with 3.

 I decided to make the soup anyway. The recipe is quite simple 8 leeks, butter, 3 potatoes, 5 cups of broth. My favorite broth is Progresso. But I will use any that is on sale. I also tend to not buy the low sodium because it tend to forget to salt my cooking. That save me from having bland food. LOL

Saute leeks until soft.

Add rest of ingredient and boil for about 1/2 hour or until potatoes are soft and puree.

I got this hand held blender for my birthday. I couldn't wait to try it out. One of the reasons for making this soup. Once you puree, you can add a cup of cream if you want a creamier soup or thin with broth if you want a thinner soup. Guess which way I went...

Yup with the cream. It was so yummy. Try the soup it so fast to make, unless you taking photos of the process. wink wink You will be eating in less than a hour.

Thanks for stopping by
XOXO
Esther

Charm Bracelet

Last year I had bought a kit to make a charm bracelet. I learned so much from the kit. How to put together beads with bead caps and spacers. Who would have thought there were so many pieces to put together to make one item to put on the bracelet.

Early last fall I decided to try to make one on my own. Looking for all the components in the local craft stores was a challenge. Not every store carried what I needed and I was trying to make it pretty similar to the kit. In the end I had to change things around. I should have looked on the internet. I didn't think of it at the time. 

I was very happy to find these smokey colored tear drop glass beads. With the bead spacers and tiny pearls they really dressed up the bead and made it look to romantic. I learned how to make rosary chain since I couldn't find any pre-made. It turned out easier than I thought and I was able to put a strand together in no time.

Here is a look at one of the bracelets I finished.

Thanks for stopping by

XOXO

Esther