Wednesday, January 20, 2016

A nice surprise....

Good morning Folks ~ It is 'cold' here in s.e. FL once again. My heater is in the attic.  I would have to have help in getting it down, and am hoping I won't have to do so. I didn't get it down last year and we had a few cold days in a row, I just put on socks and heavier clothing. :-)

Yesterday I made a crockpot full of homemade chili.  I cooked up a bag of dried pinto beans first, then browned Italian sausage and some ground beef, then added a large can of diced tomatoes, some Merlot, a bit of water, onion, garlic and onion powder, paprika, cayenne, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cumin and maybe one or two others. Didn't have chili powder. I put it on high and cooked it for about 4 hours and it smelled good in here and I enjoyed it with a couple of glasses of Merlot for supper. :-) I think tonight I'll cook up some brown rice to serve the chili on and to make the chili last longer.



This morning I was pleasantly surprised and couldn't quit smiling from an email notification from Etsy of another sale. This was a good one, from a repeat customer. Needless to say, I am very thankful and inspired to keep creating.

Click on photos for a larger view.




I will close this post with a couple of pics of Miss Tork on my new quilt. :-)





Her coloring is wonderful with this quilt. My sweet comforting kitty.



That's it for now. I'm hungry so it's time for some breakfast.  Have a great day & don't forget to count your blessings.

FlowerLady

23 comments:

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Congrats on the sale!! Your beadwork is beautiful. Sorry you are having cold weather down there!! It's not supposed to BE that way!!
Xx, Carol

Karen said...

Rainey, the chili looks amazing! I love my crockpot too, it raises my spirits for some reason when the smell of good cooking fills the house. How wonderful that your gorgeous artworks are selling, too. :-) Love your sweet Miss Tork, what a comfort she must be.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Congrats on the new printer... Sounds like you got a great deal!!!!!

That Chili looks awesome on a COLD day--even in Florida. We are getting snow here today.

Hugs,
Betsy

Nancy J said...

An Etsy sale, new quilt, Miss Tork in comfort, and yummy meals. Sounds might good to me.

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Wonderful for you Etsy sales! The chili sounds great. What a beautiful kitty that is!

Janice said...


You're a good bit further south than me, we had freezing temps. and frost. It has held off longer than usual in this section of Central Florida, so I was expecting it.
Congrats on your sale! Stay warm...you and Miss Tork.

Ruth Hiebert said...

That child sounds and looks good.Stay warm.

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

Your chili looks so good and I love how you improvised without having the chili powder. That's a true cook! Your sweet kitty does look pretty on your new quilt. Congratulations on your sale, too! Your work is so lovely. xx Karen

Stephanie said...

Congratulations on your Etsy sale - what a delight. The things you make are quite beautiful, my friend.

Enjoy the remainder of your week. Hugs!

Janneke said...

So nice you sold one of your beautiful hearts with beadwork, they look lovely.
The chili looks delicious, I´m getting hungry. I´ve noted the ingredients so I can try it too, it must be good with the merlot. Funny that Miss Tork has taken possession of the wonderful quilt.

Bella's Rose Cottage said...

Hi Lorraine,
Oh cold in FL, I didn't know that happened :-) I hope you warm up soon and the chili looks like a good way to ride it out! Your needle work is gorgeous, I would imagine you have many sales in your future!! Scratch sweet kitty behind the ear for me:-)
Hugs,
Bella

BeachGypsy said...

She is a beautiful kitty!! I do love chili on top of rice! Chili on top of cornbread is good too!

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Great on the sale!

Darcie said...

Man does that pot of chili ever look delicious! I've never tried it over rice but it sounds like a perfect combo!

So glad you have your kitty to bring you smiles and comfort.

RockWhisperer said...

Oh, I wish I could come over and love on your Miss Tork. Hugs xoxoxo

A Joyful Cottage said...

Your chili looks yummy, Rainey. Nothing I enjoy more on a cold winter's day than a bowl of chili. Congratulations on the Etsy sell. Repeat customers are the best. Your beadwork is so gorgeous. My favorite is the white heart in the upper left. Amazing. Miss Tork looks quite content on your beautiful quilt. Keep creating and enjoying your days, my friend. Hugs, Nancy

sweetbay said...

Miss Tork looks very sweet! I love tortoiseshell coloring in cats. My Prissy is a tortoiseshell/tabby too. Congratulations on the Etsy sale. Your work is beautiful.

Melanie said...

Your chili looks and sounds wonderful. Perfect food for a cold day. Congrats on your latest etsy sale!

gld said...

This is good weather for chili or other hot soups.

Lucky Miss Tork. She seems to really like that new quilt.

You have an amazing collection of beads and so organized! Glad you are seeing some good sales.

Julie said...

You are many things, but bead artist is right at the top of the list! Stunning creations!!! Love your work!

Unknown said...

That is wonderful that you are getting repeat customers for your beautiful creations - a testament to how lovely they are and to how much love and attention you have put into each piece. A great start to the new year. That chili looked fabulous. Its great to cook up a batch of something and have plenty left for a couple of days. Now that the weather has turned a little chilly (pun unintended!) its a great dish to have on hand. Miss Tork is adorable and she chose exactly the right colors to go to sleep on.

Stay warm!
- Kate

Jillayne said...

Your beaded hearts are gorgeous... amazing. I love what you said in the other post about just letting the ideas take you wherever they will, going with the flow. It's really the only way serendipity can work isn't it - letting go and just creating.
Your cat is beautiful - as is the quilt, but aren't cats and quilts wonderful together?!

M.K. said...

Gorgeous beaded hearts, FL. So glad they are appreciated and bought!