I Need Mom!

Linens and Lace-Dessert for Two

2012-02-16T09:59:00.000-06:00

I love mixing old and new. We had a very simple Valentine's Day dessert of Key Lime Pie and I think everything tastes better on a pretty plate. I set the coffee table with an embroidered short runner that I found in my mother-in-law's things and added 2 different lacy napkins from my mother's things. The cup and plate set is from Living Quarters, the funky flatware was a HomeGoods buy a couple of years ago.

I added blue stemware and a few mercury

glass votive candles to complete the look.

The beautiful tulips were part of my Valentine's Day

gift from my husband. Tulips are my favorite!

You can see the glow of the fireplace in the background.

The Key Lime pie was made from a Carnation brand kit.

It was surprisingly good!

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday.

Please visit our hostess!

I am going to start blocking Anonymous comments from my blog. I seem to be getting them several times a day and they aren't real comments-they are advertisements. Is anyone else having this issue?

Bits and Pieces

2012-02-13T15:02:00.000-06:00

     This is one of those blog posts that says very little because life hasn't been very creative the last few days. It has really been more of a mess! My husband is working on a project for me, but he has spent the past 3 weekends on it and we still aren't done. He is putting up open shelves on one wall in my "dish room". I saw a picture on Pinterest and asked if he could duplicate it without spending any money. He did have the boards for the shelves, but we had to buy the wooden brackets to support the shelves and a few other smaller items. It isn't going to be as perfect as the picture because his boards were 2 different sizes, but I think it will be a vast improvement. I will actually be able to see more of my things and we will get rid of a few pieces of furniture in that room. As of now, everthing from the dish room is all over the basement. Pictures soon (I hope).

     I took Kim @ Savvy Southern Style's brand advice and bought a steamer for our tile and wood floors this weekend. I used it yesterday and while I'm not sure the floors look any different, I certainly feel as if they had a deep cleaning. I found the Hahn machine on sale at Carson's. There was one slight problem. When I was getting ready to steam, I picked up the 2 sets of dog bowls and put them in the laundry room sink to wash them. I plugged the sink, turned on the hot water, shut the door and proceeded to steam the floor. You see where this is going?? About half way through the hardwood floor steaming I heard a water sound and remembered what I'd done. I flooded the laundry room, the basement below it and even the garage where it came through the wall somehow. My husband wasn't home, but luckily he was within reach. Duh. I haven't done anything that dumb in quite a while.

     I wanted to mention that I'm still using the Mindful Mineral products that I wrote about here and I still think they are the best products that I've ever used. I've even had friends comment on my skin recently. I swear I'm not on the payroll, I just love sharing something with you when I really believe in it.

     I spent much of the weekend watching the coverage of Whitney Houston's death. We lose famous people all the time and I always feel badly for the family, but rarely does the passing of someone famous stop me in my tracks. This one did. I have Whitney's first album, her last and many in-between. In my opinion, she had the best female voice of my generation and while her last album doesn't compare to her earlier ones, I was still hopeful for her. In her prime no one was better or more beautiful. I hope that is her legacy and not the troubles of her last years. I heard Robin Roberts on GMA say that "a daughter lost a mother and a mother lost a daughter". I hope the media remembers that in the following days.

We are supposed to have our first real snow storm of the season later today. The flurries have just started and after a few inches they are mentioning ice. Hopefully, they are wrong. So, how was you weekend?

R.I.P. Whitney

2012-02-11T20:36:00.000-06:00

We will always love you.

The Rest of the Story and a Zoe Update

2012-02-09T11:16:00.000-06:00

I had several comments about the menu that was on my tablescape last week. I found it in with a box of vintage postcards. I decided to see if I could find out a little bit more about the ship. I was very excited to be able to find an actual picture of it.

     The R.M.S. Caronia was a British ocean liner, launched on July 13th, 1904. She was built for Cunard by John Brown & Co. of Glasgow. She left Liverpool on her maiden voyage to New York on February 25th, 1905. After a successful 1906 cruise from New York to the Mediterranean, the Caronia was used often in the following years.

     The Caronia was briefly placed on Cunard's Boston service in 1914, but the start of World War I caused her to be requisitioned as an armed merchant cruiser. In 1916, she became a troopship and served in that role for the duration of the war, returning to the Liverpool-New York run after the war was over. In 1920, the Caronia was converted to burn oil instead of coal. She sailed on a number of different routes, including: New York/Boston from Liverpool; New York from London; New York from Hamburg; Quebec from Liverpool; and New York from Havana.

     Her last voyage, from London to New York was on September 12th, 1932, after which she was sold to be disassembled. Initially sold to Hughes Bolckow for demolition at Blyth, she was resold, renamed Taiseiyo Maru and sailed to Osaka, where she was scrapped in 1933.

     I would love to know who owned the menu that I now have...but that may just remain a mystery.

Some of you have asked about Zoe. She will be 5 months old in a few days. She is slightly taller than our old beagle. Her body type is entirely different than our past 2 beagles. She has long legs and a very lean body. This means that she can reach things off the coffee table, jump on all the furniture and jump high enough (think trampoline) to pull the throws off the back of the couch! She just lost her first baby tooth. We still have trouble when they are both loose at the same time. The older dog really instigates the problem but Zoe thinks she wants to play. She isn't completely housebroken yet, but she is making good progress and is certainly where we would expect her to be at this age.

Having two dogs that don't get along has proven to be much more difficult that we anticipated, but we don't for one minute regret adding Zoe to our family. We just won't have 2 at the same time again. Our older beagle continues to hang in there as she nears 16. Her back legs seem to fail her at times for a few minutes, but she gets back up and keeps on going. Her goal in life right now is to get to every dog biscuit of Zoe's before Zoe can eat it!

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for

Tablescape Thursday since this post concerns last week's tablescape.

Please visit our hostess!

Computers...A Love/Hate Relationship

2012-02-08T10:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday wasn't a good day. For a week or two, I have been having some problems with Internet Explorer shutting down frequently and then restarting. Over the past few days I have done all the "normal" things I do when I have a computer issue. I ran my virus scan, checked for malware, upgraded from IE 8 to 9 and back to 8 again, checked the disk, defragmented the hard drive, tried several restore points and so on. You get the picture. I googled repeatedly looking for answers and as it was getting worse, I attempted a recovery suggested by someone I googled. Big mistake. Whatever I did...made things worse.

After my "repair" I started getting messages. The first sign of a real problem came when my computer didn't recognize my iPhone and I couldn't fix that. Shortly after that a message popped up that my virus protection was turned off, but I couldn't turn it back on. When I tried to Google to see what might be going wrong...I discovered that IE would no longer open. It was broken/fried/gone. My computer showed that it was still there, it even showed it was running-but it wouldn't open. Long story short, I started this process at about 10:00 a.m. yesterday and I finally went to bed at 2:00 a.m. this morning. I did learn a few things during the process that I thought I would share with you.

1. It was very obvious that my issue was with Internet Explorer, not the computer. I was extremely lucky that I had a secondary browser on my computer so that I could still research things to try. I happened to have Google Chrome and it was still working.

2. I was also lucky that I had a couple of USB Flash Drives at home and I was able to remove all my pictures and my taxes etc. from the computer before I took the last drastic step.

3. It was a serious mistake to make a repair without writing down what I'd done. The suggested repair had me looking up a file, clicking a couple of places and shutting a few things off. I think that I created more of a problem than I had originally and the steps were too complicated for me to remember how to reverse them. I should have taken notes as I did it-lesson learned.

4. I ended up taking my computer back to factory settings. In other words, it is the same as when it came out of the box. I have a Satellite L675 laptop and I really didn't want to have to replace it. Factory setting is a very drastic step, but it also cleans up all the junk we accumulate on the computer. It took a long time and several steps. I had to go online to find out how to do it as they no longer send a recover disk with a computer. It wasn't difficult, just time consuming.

5. So far, I have only found that my daughter's tax information didn't save to the flash drive for some reason. I lost all of my favorites and the items in my favorites bar as well as the Swagbucks Toolbar. I also lost all of my songs on iTunes (I know-I should have been saving to The Cloud). That isn't a big deal as the songs are still on my phone. As of yet I haven't found a way to move them from the phone back to the computer and that isn't the end of the world.

So-my reminder today to each of you is to:

1) Backup your files and photos to a flash drive (don't just plan on it like I did).

2. Add a second browser, even if you don't use it.

3. If you make changes to your computer-write them down so you can reverse them later.

4. If you have iTunes/iPhone/iPod-use The Cloud if you are going to be upset losing your music.

I am still a bit stressed, exhausted and very hopeful that I won't still have issues.

My tablescape for this week, isn't happening.

I also don't have to find a way to work a new computer into the budget!

I call that success!

Mr. Food Helps With My Super Bowl Snacks!

2012-02-06T11:09:00.000-06:00

I'm sure many of you did exactly what I did yesterday...I ate too much! We went to a lovely Super Bowl party, where everyone brought something yummy to eat! Every day on our local noon news, Mr. Food has a recipe at the end of the show. Sometimes they look good, sometimes not so much. I never try the recipes. I decided for the party to finally give two of them a try. The first was a bar cookie-Lime Margarita Bars (click here for recipe).

They were very easy to make and I really liked the combination of the salty pretzel crust and the almost cheesecake type filling. Mr. Food showed them with a little whipped cream on top, but I didn't think that would hold up during the party. I dusted them with powdered sugar and sprinkled a few of the remaining crumbs from the pan on top of the bars.

The second recipe I tried was an appetizer-Border Biscuit Bake (click here for the recipe). This was also very simple to make. Refrigerator biscuits are cut into pieces, tossed with a jar of salsa and covered with cheese, peppers and olives. After baking you end up with a pull apart "bread" with a Mexican flavor. I used 4 cups of cheese rather than the 3 cups in the recipe. I found this to be very good, but just a little dry for my taste. I baked mine 40 minutes and I would reduce that by a few minutes when I do it again. I also would probably serve sour cream and/or guacamole on the side to garnish it with. The flavor was very good and hot from the oven it was gooey and delicious, it needed a bit of sauce or something after it cooled. I did read in the Mr. Food comments that some people added cooked meat before baking which would certainly be delicious. So-did you eat too much? I'm back to eating a bit healthier today!

Simple, Delicious and Good For You!

2012-02-03T11:30:00.000-06:00

I love soup. I think I could be happy having soup every day, even in the summer. My favorites tend to be cream soups, but we know those aren't the best for us. So, I'm always looking for recipes that are both healthy and taste good. I recently read a recipe that sounded delicious and of course I had to change it a bit for our tastes. I think you will like this one.

Hearty Chicken Soup with Beans

Ingredients

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 oz. dried pinto beans

8 oz. dried great northern beans (you can either soak both of the dried bean varieties for 2 hours and drain, or do as I did and in a large pan, cover them with water and bring to a boil, then drain them)

2 T. olive oil

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped (I like to add some of the leaves)

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

pinch of garlic powder

32 oz. chicken broth (low sodium)

2 cups of water

Put the chicken in the crockpot.

You can see that mine was still frozen.

Coarsely chop the celery and carrots and add to the chicken

Add the rinsed and soaked (or slightly boiled and drained) beans to the mix.

Add oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bay leaves, broth and water.

I set my crockpot to 4 hours on high temperature,

you can adjust yours accordingly.

Before serving remove the bay leaves and shred the chicken.

My husband had seconds...that always means that it is a success. We just had crackers with ours, but cornbread or a crusty French bread would be delicious.

I am joining Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.

Please visit our hostess.

A Touch of Romance

2012-02-02T11:14:00.000-06:00

The menu on my table today is a bit unusual. Click on the picture to enlarge it and you may decided that you are glad you aren't having this meal. I love trying to imagine what it would have been like to be on that ship in 1911. I'm sure the table was elegant, the women were in beautiful gowns and the service was impeccable. I added the menu to my tablescape as this weeks "touch of whimsy" for my Valentine's Day setting. You can see the wine list later on in the post.

Please excuse the smudge on my photos.

I took a food photo before these and had a dirty lens and didn't know it!

This table doesn't really need much explanation. The white plates are Certified International China and the red plates as well as the ruffled red and white salad plates are Crate and Barrel. I used a pink/red flatware to tie in the pinks in my centerpiece.

Red roses, pink and red tulips, red netting and

candles reflect off a large circular mirror.

The tiny pitcher is actually a Crate and Barrel soy sauce pitcher,

but I loved it because it was so tiny. It had to come home with me.

They just don't make Valentines the way they used to.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday.

Please visit our lovely hostess.

Love is in the Air!

2012-01-31T12:11:00.000-06:00

I don't actually do much decorating for Valentine's Day. I may add little touches of red here and there, but I don't have actual decorations anymore. Some of my favorite things to use are old sheet music, postcards and photographs. I finally took time over the weekend to go through a box of sheet music and postcards that my father-in-law gave me before he died. I pulled out several that I can't wait to use. I'm not sure what I will do with the ones I'm not going to use. Some may end up on Ebay and I do plan to do a giveaway including several vintage items soon. (Anyone have any other suggestions)? I used some "love themed" music on the top of my china cabinet, along with the beautiful vase my daughter gave me for my birthday and a few birds. A pop of ribbon ties it all in together.

I put away most of my winter things and pulled out several birds for around the house. It just doesn't feel much like winter this year (it is in the 60's today) and I love that! I'm sure we will get a dose of snow soon, but the birds seemed to go better with what was going on outside.

I loved this sweet old postcard.

As always, working with my round table can

be a challenge. Lots of white, hints of Valentine red

and birds create a slightly romantic look for the holiday.

I am joining Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday.

Please visit our wonderful hostess.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter No-Bakes

2012-01-30T10:58:00.001-06:00

Do you ever have one of those days where you just need to "self-nurture"? You know, when for whatever reason you just wish you could call your mom and feel better? Well, for many of us, that isn't possible anymore...so, for me sometimes the combination of my love for cooking, an old favorite recipe of my grandmother's and of course a bit of chocolate tends to help for a moment.

If you are as old as I am, you will know this simple recipe. My dad's mother made these all the time. I'm sure it was created because it is made with ingredients that most people had in their kitchens all the time. I haven't made them in decades, but I saw them pinned on Pinterest a few days ago and I knew that I would be making them soon. Cookies today have more ingredients and tend to take longer to make. These go back to the days of simple, easy, inexpensive and made with staples.

I don't even know the name of this recipe. My grandmother just called them "No-Bakes". They are sort of a cross between a cookie and a candy. They are not good for you...some days I just don't care about that!

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup milk

4 heaping T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)

3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

2 tsp. vanilla

Add the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute. Stir in the next 3 ingredients and drop onto wax/parchment paper. Let cool until set.

You can use a scoop and make them prettier than mine. I used a spoon, my goal was to get them done and eat them! Yes, I had 2 while they were still a bit warm...and one later in the afternoon. Then, I put some on a plate and gave them away because I knew I was in trouble. Sometimes we just take a hug from our grandmothers any way we can get it...yesterday, mine was with a bit of chocolate and a lot of memories.

It's Black, It's White...

2012-01-26T10:44:00.000-06:00

Last week, I set a formal table, but this week I'm back to making my table more fun. I don't think you can ever go wrong with black and white. People often ask me how I decide what I'm going to use on a tablescape. I generally start with one item and build off of that. Sometimes it is something new that I've gotten, sometimes it is something I've had for years and just feel like sharing with all of you. It might be a fresh bouquet or garage sale wine glasses. I think if you start your table with something that makes you happy, the rest of the table will reflect that. This week my inspiration came from the polka dot bowls that I bought quite a while ago in the clearance section at Marshalls. They are marked 222 Fifth, Dotty Black and I just love the size and shape.

For this table, I mixed all sorts of patterns, shapes and textures. The white dinner plates used as chargers are American Atelier, Bianca Leaf. The black dinner plates are Walmart. The white salad plates are 10 Strawberry Street and the snowflake bread and butter plates are Crate and Barrel.

I realized when I was setting this table that even though I have many tablecloths, I rarely use them. I really prefer a runner and placemats. I like the way it looks and I really hate ironing tablecloths...runners are so much easier. I used a soft gray runner with black flowers today.

Charcoal flatware and black stemware finish the look.

Simple black napkins tied with a bit of ribbon are

placed in an unusual location at each place setting.

I love this vintage silver tray of my mother's. I use it all over the house. I added a white pitcher of tulips (you saw them earlier this week), crystal candlesticks with snowflake tapers and a few votives to the table. You can also see a black and white cream and sugar from a resale store on the corner of the table.

The only color on the table is the hint

of blue in this frosty snowflake candle.

At night, the black and white takes on a special glow.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday.

Please visit our wonderful hostess!

Could We Talk A Little Bit About Paula?

2012-01-25T09:11:00.000-06:00

This morning I happened to see one more posting about how Paula Deen should be held accountable for "misleading" the public into eating food that could kill them. I have heard this said in various ways since it came out earlier this month that she has Type 2 Diabetes. This morning, the person who posted about it on my Facebook page linked a listing of Paula's 10 "deadliest recipes".

I don't often use my blog to discuss what might be a controversial topic, but today I wanted to say what I was thinking and see how you all felt about it. I'm a Paula Deen fan. I admire a woman who was completely down on her luck and created her own business selling sandwiches from a wagon to help support her boys. I visited her first small restaurant in Savannah before she was a household name and she was right out there cleaning off tables and talking to the customers. I feel as if that even with all of her fame, she has stayed pretty humble and seems grateful for the life she has. When I heard she had diabetes, I felt badly for her...not angry.

It seems to me that anyone who cares enough to prepare a Paula Deen recipe is smart enough to know it isn't health food. Anyone who can afford the ingredients, afford the magazine or afford cable television is probably intelligent enough to realize that if it has a pound of butter, 2 cups of cream and a few cups of cheese in it...it isn't good for you. I have never heard Paula suggest that you make her recipes 3 meals a day and eat nothing else. I've also never heard her claim to be a "healthy" cook.

So, where does it stop if the media and the public are going to criticize her for causing others to have health issues or premature death? What about the other cooking shows? The Neeley's comes to mind...with their down home southern cooking. Would Julia Child have made the cut? I seem to remember a lot of butter in her recipes as well. What about our magazines, the Southern Living I got yesterday is full of rich, calorie laden foods.

Isn't it really our responsibility to eat what is best for us? We all know that a diet of fruits, vegetables and lean meats is healthier than butter, sugar, cream and high fat foods. Don't we have to make the decision for ourselves to try to eat right most of the time and have a Paula Deen treat now and then? I think she only has to be accountable to herself and hopefully by sharing her story she may affect others in a positive way. I wish her well in overcoming this serious disease. I'm off my soap box now...I think I'll go make some macaroni and cheese!

Red, White and Valentine"s Day

2012-01-24T15:08:00.000-06:00

I'm a little late to the game today because I'm just starting to "spruce" things up around here after having a stark look after Christmas. I did want to participate in Marty's 100th Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life. Please take a moment to stop in and wish her a Happy 100th posting.

I was thrilled to find white tulips at my local Walmart today. They are my favorite. I just plunked (that is a technical term) them in a white pitcher and I love the casual look.

I don't really have Valentine's Day decorations, so I simply put some candy in both a new jar and antique candy jar to add a hint of the holiday.

This figurine was an anniversary gift from my husband in December.

If you look closely, you can see Zoe in her

kennel watching every move I'm making!

With our warmer than usual temperatures and today's sunshine, I'd really like to put out spring things all over the house...but, I'd just be kidding myself. Winter is going to show up...it is just a matter of when and how bad it will be!

Happy 100th Table Top Tuesday Marty!

Wild Weather Weekend-Small Project

2012-01-23T10:16:00.000-06:00

Don't let those sweet smiles fool you!

It was a very strange weekend in my part of the world. In fact, I don't really remember ever having such strange weather. We had our grandsons here for the weekend. We were supposed to pick them up late Friday afternoon about 30 miles from here, but after watching the weather reports...we met their mother at noon, thank goodness.

I actually took this picture Sunday morning, just a reminder of what happened here on Friday night. When my husband got home from work just before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, there was a slight mist in the air. When he stepped out on our deck about 15 minutes later to take one of the dogs out...he almost fell it was so slick. Within a matter of minutes, our area was a sheet of ice. They say that we had more than 100 accidents and because I live where 2 interstates meet, many of those accidents involved semi-trucks. We can actually see the interstate in the distance from our home and traffic was stopped completely for around 7 hours. It was one huge parking lot, can you imagine? I understand that the truckers were letting people into their trucks to stay warm. Every road in and out of our town was blocked by an accident. We only left the house to pick up my son, which we would never have done if his kids hadn't been here. It was a nightmare. Saturday was still very icy and yesterday...we woke to heavy fog and black ice. The roads were clear when we returned the boys, but the fog was thick. Last night, we warmed up to 52 degrees, the fog was horrible and huge thunderstorms passed through. What is up with this weather??

I only worked on one tiny little project last week. For many years I have had a datebook calendar on my desk. I walk past the calendar shops in the mall and while I may drool over the lighthouses, beach photos and florals...a datebook has always been more practical for me. Until I became puppy obsessed this year...

Who could pass this up? The pictures are so cute and with a new puppy in the house, well I gave in to temptation. Of course I didn't think about having no where to put it when I got it home. I can't keep a calendar this size on my desk and since putting the stainless appliances in the kitchen, I'm just not into putting things on the front of the frig anymore. I had a wall in the kitchen with nothing on it, but I couldn't imagine just putting a nail in the wall and hanging the calendar, so I tried to think of some way to hang it where it would still be easy to write on, yet not look terribly tacky!

I saw some small bulletin boards from Ballard Designs, for around $70. Well, that wasn't in my budget. I had a small bulletin board in my closet, so I pulled it out, gave it a quick coat of paint and added a few felt circles to "dress it up" a little bit. I knew it wasn't really going to show once the calendar was hanging. It isn't ideal, but I do get to see my puppy pictures...the felt circles add a finished look that I wouldn't have if I just stuck the calendar on the wall and my refrigerator still has nothing on the front of it. Sometimes you just have to make it work! Money spent...$0.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Met Monday. Please visit our hostess!

Almost Famous Sugar Cookies-Very, very good.

2012-01-20T09:59:00.000-06:00

I have known about Cheryl's Cookies for a long time. I have never tried them. A few days before I left for Florida, a good friend was lucky enough to get to taste them and she couldn't say enough good things about the flavor and texture of these cookies. The fact that they come individually wrapped is a bonus. I wanted to order them to take to Florida with me for the holiday, but I didn't have enough time...so I started searching for a recipe that might be similiar. I found a recipe titled "Cheryl and Co. Cookies" on Tastebook. Click here for the recipe. They also list a frosting recipe, but I wasn't crazy about the idea of vegetable oil in my frosting, so I used the following recipe for the frosting. The cookie recipe makes so many cookies that I ran out of frosting and still had about a dozen cookies leftover.

Buttercream Frosting

1 - (1 lb.) pkg. powdered sugar (approx. 3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup - butter, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons - milk
1 teaspoon - vanilla

Combine in large bowl, with mixer at low speed, powdered sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed 1-2 minutes until creamy. If desired, add more milk until frosting is spreading consistency. Divide into bowls and add food coloring as desired.

Makes enough to fill and frost 2-layer cake, 13x9x2-inch sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes.

I was a little shocked at the amount of butter, eggs and sugar for the recipe...but, it made lots of cookies and they were very good. The recipe says to roll out the dough and cut out the cookies. They would certainly look more like Cheryl's Cookies if you did that. I was lazy and simply rolled them into balls and pressed them down with a glass dipped in flour.

My family said these were the best sugar cookies I've ever made. They are thick, soft and not overly sweet. I tend to go for the chocolate cookies on the plate, but even I was grabbing these. I still look forward to trying some of the authentic Cheryl's Cookies, but these were certainly a hit at my house and would be wonderful for Valentine's Day.

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Please stop in and say hello to our hostess!

Gold, Crystal and Vintage Bling

2012-01-18T11:24:00.000-06:00

Most of the time when I set a table, it is a bit fun and funky. I do however, like to get a little formal now and then. My tablescape today was inspired by the table runner, which was a gift from my dad for Christmas. You will see that not only is it beautiful...it has lights inside of it, how cool is that?

The runner is gold and cream, a perfect match for my mother's china pattern. Her beautiful Castleton China Carlton pattern is one of my treasures. My grandmother had the same pattern, so there were enough place settings for my sister and I to both have a full set.

I pulled out the my gold Farberware flatware

and gold napkins to complete the theme.

You may be noticing my "napkin rings". My mother-in-law's vintage brooches add a little touch of whimsy and sparkle to the table. I actually wear them all the time on my jean jackets and coats. The vintage necklaces were my grandmother's.

The stemware is Waterford Crystal. The centerpiece is the matching Waterford ice bucket. These pieces were given to my husband for his 35th anniversary at his job last year.

The crystal candlesticks are garage sale finds and the rose bowls are antique cut glass. I put a crystal votive in each one.

I love white flowers, they are so simple and elegant.

The table runner in the daytime is pretty...at night, it is wonderful!

I did learn a valuable lesson with this tablescape. Zoe (the puppy) was very attracted to the tassel on the table runner. I caughter her just before she grabbed it, which would have pulled the Waterford ice bucket to the hardwood floor. I was very lucky to avoid that disaster.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday.

I am also joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style

for Wow Us Wednesdays

Please take time to visit our lovely hostesses.

Let's Talk About Blogger and Pinterest Questions and Issues

2012-01-17T11:18:00.000-06:00

I have a few questions/problems that I haven't been able to answer with Google. When it doubt...ask other bloggers if they can help. If you have a question or problem, feel free to post it in the comments and maybe someone can help you.

1. I am no longer able to copy and paste HTML codes into my blog design. I can copy from another site, but when I open the Add Gadget-HTML in blogger, when I try to paste the code, it won't paste. It doesn't matter if I'm trying to change my background or trying to add a "follow me on Pinterest" link, it doesn't work. What's up with that??

2. I keep seeing discussion about changes coming to way we have or get followers in the near future. I can't find a good explanation of what is actually happening. Are we going to still be able to click the follow button on a blog to follow it? Will we still have the followers we have now? Do we have to link our blogs to our Facebook accounts? If so, why? I don't want to lose the list of blogs that I follow...so, I'm trying to decide if we need to make a written list of the blog websites we follow.

3. Is there a way to find out how many times our most read posts have been read since we posted them. I have a counter that tells me daily, weekly etc. view numbers...but, I'm curious as to how many views a couple posts have gotten over time and I don't know where to look for the info.

4. I am new to Pinterest. Many of my fellow bloggers have been using it for a while. I evidently joined through Facebook and when I go to my Pinterest settings and try to upload a different picture than my Facebook image...I am unable to do so. The only way I can change my Pinterest photo seems to be by changing my photo on Facebook...that seems very strange to me. I would prefer to have my blog photo on Pinterest and my personal photo on Facebook...help?

5. If we want to give someone a link to our Pinterest page so they can follow us...is that link simply http://www.pinterest.com/whatever our user name is/

6. I like being able to support other bloggers by "pinning" things I love from their blogs to Pinterest. I would think this would bring more traffic to their blogs or our own blogs. I have yet to figure out how to get people to follow me on Pinterest or if it is even important to have followers there...thoughts?

A Little Sunday Afternoon Project

2012-01-16T14:05:00.000-06:00

My china cabinet is a very old piece that we bought from a family friend of my parents, many years ago. I don't love it, but it works in the spot where I need it for right now. I would love to paint it, but my husband has a real issue with painting wood furniture and even more so when he remembers how hard he workded to strip it to the natural oak. After reading this post on Tatertots and Jello, I decided to try my hand at a dreaded "craft project" which we all know, I don't do very well.

I forgot to take a picture of the cabinet full and with the light reflection, it is almost impossible to get a good photo. Let's just say that my love for crystal and cut glass had turned this cabinet into more of a storage piece than a display piece. I had it way too full, so I removed and washed everything and put my Fostoria stemware which took up the entire first shelf and part of the second in the mini-kitchen in the basement.

I removed the shelves and got to work. Jen used wrapping paper for her project, but I couldn't find any locally that didn't look like wrapping paper. I bought a roll of wallpaper at Menards and got to work. I did find that my cabinet is very difficult to work with. It is a wide piece with a narrow opening, so I almost had to crawl inside of it to put up the paper. I also found that the double-stick tape didn't want to stick to wood that had been oiled many times over the years. I finally combined foam double-stick tape and double stick scotch tape to make it hold.

I do think it lightened up the cabinet a bit and it certainly looks better with less in it. I think painting the back would have been easier for a non-crafty person like me...but, I do like the subtle pattern of the paper.

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday!

A Little Florida Sunshine

2012-01-13T11:28:00.000-06:00

We are in the midst of our first winter deep freeze. The wind chill has finally gotten up to 2 degrees this morning. I thought I'd share just a few warm photos from Christmas week in Florida to remind us all that winter doesn't last all that long!

When we took my dad to the airport a few days before Christmas, we decided to head over for a day at Daytona Beach. My daughter had the day off, we were up early and it was in the high 70's. We spent a few hours sitting (napping) on the beach. It was a bit cloudy and the water was way too cold to get into, but there is nothing quite like the sound of the surf to make you relax.

The drive to Daytona from Orlando is only about an hour. I spent every summer of my childhood at Daytona Beach. Truthfully, I think it has gone downhill over the years, but the beach is still very clean and I love that you can drive on it and park your car right on the beach.

We had a bit of a shock as we were leaving the beach. We drove very close to a completely naked man stretched out on his stomach right near the driving lane on the beach. He obviously wanted to be seen. Let's just say, it wasn't pretty. Now, if it had been one of the lifeguards...I might have taken pictures...but, it was a 40-something, slightly overweight, pale guy...icky, icky, icky. Daytona Beach isn't a nude beach, so my guess is the guy has issues.

We had lunch at a cute little waterfront restaurant.

It wasn't anything special, but the view was lovely.

The next day we went to Winter Park. It is a beautiful little town with wonderful shops and restaurants. We have often talked about the possibility we would move there when my husband retires. We found that an inner courtyard in the business district had been redone and it was beautiful. I am a bit surprised that people don't accidentally walk into the fish pond...but, I did love the look.

My daughter has been telling us that she thinks we would prefer Winter Garden as our Florida home. We decided to make the short drive from Orlando to check it out. I wish I had taken more pictures.

We loved Winter Garden. It is much more relaxed than Winter Park. People were shopping in shorts and flip flops instead of high heels. I think my daughter is right, we truly felt as if this might be a possible home for us in the not too distant future. The Historic Downtown has cute shops and small restaurants. The people were so friendly and when we asked about living there, they were very welcoming.

We loved the Farmer's Market, there were

some very interesting local products.

While the downtown area is very quaint and old-fashioned looking, there is also a new area just as we drove into town that has every store you would find in a very nice mall, several restaurants, spas and gyms. What I loved was that both downtown and the new area had regular parking! I hate driving and I certainly don't want to have to go into a parking garage or parallel park just to run into a store. These things become very important when you are looking for a "retirement" hometown. We still have plenty of time to explore the Orlando area. We just know we want to be close enough to have our daughter come for dinner or baby-sit if she needs us to and yet be outside of the horrible traffic and tourists in the Orlando/Disney area. We are certainly having fun looking!

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizers & Zoe Update

2012-01-12T10:32:00.000-06:00

What is this stuff?

Our beagle baby Zoe is 4 months old today and she is growing so quickly you can almost watch it happen. She is a purebred beagle, but I keep asking my husband if they mixed her up at birth because she doesn't look like the other 2 beagles I've had. She has long legs and I'm sure she will grow into them, but at this point, her legs are growing faster than she is filling out. She still only has on and off. Sometimes, she is completely wild and running so fast we can't catch her, grabbing everything she can find along the way. She pulls throws off couches, laundry from the basket, rugs, boots and shoes and loves her toys! When she winds down, she snuggles into your neck and sleeps for as long as you will let her. She would love to spend no time in her kennel, but she is simply too playful and rough for our old beagle to deal with. They do have "conversations" around feeding time. Nike will do her low single bark and Zoe responds with her newly learned high-pitched beagle howl. It is funny to watch and stops after they get fed. We love her!

The sun feels good on old bones!

I'm much quieter than my sister!

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizer

We love appetizers in our family. If you give us appetizers and desserts, we don't need a "regular meal". I'm always on the lookout for simple and delicicous appetizers. I found this one in an ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese and tweeked it a little. I took it to my sister's home for Thanksgiving at it was a hit. I also put some in the freezer and had them for light lunches.

Ingredients:

2 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used actual cheese, not the green can/powdery stuff)

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

pinch garlic powder

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts (not in oil) drained, chopped

6 T. chopped black olives

bag of plain mini bagels, split

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Mix cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in large bowl.

Stir in chopped artichokes and olives.

Spread mixture on bagel halves and place on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden and bubbly. Cool a few minutes and cut in half for appetizers. It will take a little longer to bake them if they are frozen. Leave them whole for a nice light lunch.

I forgot to take a picture of them after they

were cooked since we were at my sister's house. Sorry!

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Please visit our wonderful hostess!

Disney's Beach Club Resort-Christmas Day

2012-01-10T11:03:00.000-06:00

Christmas is over, but I have a few pictures that I want to share with you before moving on to other things. Besides, if you want to plan for a Disney Christmas next year, now is the time to start planning. Christmas Day is anything but traditional for us. My daughter works for Disney and the holidays are so busy that it will be years before she gets Christmas off. It is nice that the managers all work short shifts on holidays, so that everyone can enjoy time with friends or family. My daughter worked from 6:00 am until 11:00 am, then we opened gifts and headed over to the Disney Beach Club Resort for dinner. The centerpiece above was in the lobby and I really wanted it to come home with me. One thing about Disney, they certainly know how to decorate for the holidays!

Gingerbread Carousel

The hotels all serve cookies and

cider on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

We had a wonderful seafood (and everything else)

buffet at the Cape May Cafe.

How often do you see geraniums and

poinsettias planted next to each other?

We took a stroll over to the Yacht Club Resort

which was equally decked out for the holiday.

We had a wonderful day. Food, family,

friends and beautiful things to see.

Show and Tell

2012-01-09T11:27:00.000-06:00

People alway say to us that we are so lucky to be able to spend Christmas at Disney World. Well, I do feel lucky to be in Orlando for the holiday...because it means I get to see my daughter. I also love the warm weather (which was in the 80's this year) and I admit that the decorations are stunning. However, we actually spend very little time "doing Disney" at that time of year. You see, everyone on the planet seems to come to Orlando for Christmas. The crowds both in the Disney parks, in malls and on the Orlando highways are unbelievable. We joke that it changes our personalities. We head to Florida full of love and Christmas spirit and by the time we are there a few days we are walking about saying "I hate people" every few minutes!

One of the things we never miss seeing is the Osborne Light Show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Arkansas resident Jennings Osborne and his family were very big on the Holidays. In 1986, Jennings asked his youngest daughter Breezy what her Christmas wish was. She replied that she would like to see their whole house covered in lights. That first year the Osborne family covered their home with a 1000 red lights. With each passing year, the family added more and more lights, eventually buying property adjacent to their own in order to make the "show" larger.

The display grew to millions of lights. There were flashing lights, multi-colored lights, custom-made light sculptures and a 75-foot Christmas tree adorned by lights. So many people came from all over Arkansas causing traffic jams that the local residents asked that the Osborne family stop the annual display. In 1995, Disney's Hollywood Studios became the home of this dazzling light show. Approximately 80% of the lights that are on display come from the original Osborne collection. During the holiday season, once evening descends, this amazing display of 4 million lights springs to life. Formerly drab buildings become twinkling light sculptures, while a host of angels fly overhead. Florida "snow" flutters down while Christmas tunes fill the air.

A Little Mud, A Little Salt...You Have to Try This!

2012-01-05T11:15:00.000-06:00

I want to start this post by telling you that I'm not being paid in any way for writing about these products. In fact, they didn't even know I had a blog until I made my second trip into the store and asked if I could take a few pictures to share with all of you.

It isn't often that I find a place and products that completely blow me away. A few days before Christmas, that is exactly what happened. After a huge pre-holiday meal (a future post) we decided to take a stroll around the shops at Pointe Orlando, where the restaurant was located. As we walked by a new shop, Mindful Minerals, what first caught our eye was the colorful soap sitting just inside the door. We stepped inside and you have never seen 3 females turn into such "girly girls" so quickly. We were immediately greeted by Melissa Sweiss, who is friendly, fun and extremely knowledgeable about her products. She put a bit of the mud mask on my hand and let it dry. It not only changed the texture of my hand, it changed the skin tone. My hand looked younger with one use.

The facts: Mindful Minerals products are 100% pure raw minerals harvested from Jordan’s Dead Sea. They contain no preservatives and additives found in all other Dead Sea Products currently available in the market. They offer products free of preservatives and additives with its unique process of maintaining purity while naturally preserving the product. This allows Mindful Mineral customers to experience the amazing benefits of the 21 minerals found in the Dead Sea, 12 of which are found in no other ocean or sea.

Now, for my take on the products and the store in general. I love this place! I bought several products for all of us on our first visit and took them back to the hotel and we tried them. I went back before I left town to stock up because I already knew that I didn't want to run out of anything! My daughter has been back in the store twice this week. Best of all, not only does my skin feel better...my husband actually commented on my face on two different days this week! Of course, it went something like this-

"Your face looks better, less bumpy"

"My face was bumpy?"

"No, you know...smoother"

A couple of days later, he said, "your face really does look better". I see this as sort of a back-a**ed compliment, but considering he never says anything about my skin...I'll take it! I really can see a difference and the products are fun to use and amazingly affordable. Melissa told me that their products are sold in the Ritz Carlton Spa for so much more than they are selling them in their shop. Honestly, these are high-end products at such affordable prices we were shocked.

So, what products am I using and do I suggest you try?

The Dead Sea Mud-it comes dry and you add a little water and use it on your face and/or body. The dermatologist at the store told me to use it once a week.

The Dead Sea Scrub-I am using this twice a week on my face. Again, as suggested by their dermatologist. I was a little nervous about this at first because my skin can be very sensitive. It does sting a bit (it is supposed to) but I was told it would "get rid of all the dead skin on my face"! It actually is doing that! You can use this all over your body as well, I haven't had a chance to do that yet.

Just Get Smooth Exfoliating Bar-I'm using this about twice a week in the shower on my legs and arms.

Just Get Dirty Mud Purifying Bar-I'm using it on my face every day and on my body 5 days a week.

Dead Sea Salt Bath Soak-I've used this only once, and I liked it. I just have a hard time taking the time to soak in the bath tub. I need to do it more often as it helps with sore joints and muscles.

The Dead Sea Skin Care Creams-Cleanser, Day Cream and Night Cream-I swear these combined with the salt scrub are doing good things for my face. I use the cleanser at night only. The price of these was so reasonable that I couldn't have bought them at Walgreens for that price.

The Citrus Soap with loofah-this is just fun and it smells good and feels good. It has loofah sponge inside the soap!

I never buy skin products in large amounts, but as you can see...I bought a ton of Mindful Minerals and I bought 3 jars/bars of almost everything just for me, plus what I bought for my daughter and her girlfriend. My dad even bought a bar of the Just Get Smooth soap for his dry skin. What is wonderful is that it works if you are 27 (my daughter) or 57 (me) or 85 (my dad). It works for men or women.

I think you can tell that I love this stuff. I love the fact that Melissa and her husband lived where these products come from for 3 years. I love that they have a dermatologist that tells you (even if you don't want to hear it) exactly what you need to do to look better. I loved that their young children were in the shop and that they were so new that they had just gotten their cash register the day we were there. I also love how she really works with you on what items are best for you and didn't push a single product. I also love it that I have a single jar of night cream in my bathroom that cost more than all of these products I bought added together. It is affordable and it works!

I am linking the website and their Facebook page so you can see more of the products and order some if you like. There are also discounts offered on the Facebook page. If it were me, I would call the number and talk to Melissa. They had some great specials before Christmas and my daughter says they have a Valentine Special now. You can save even more money if you happen to grab a special offer, plus she can tell you what you need most for your skin type and how to use it. I actually can't wait to see what products they come out with next and I will try them without hesitation.

If you call Mindful Minerals, please tell them you read it about them on Suzy's blog. I'd love for them to know that I sent my friends their way. You won't be sorry, I promise!

Mindful Minerals Website

Mindful Minerals Facebook Page

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

2012-01-03T08:09:00.000-06:00

For some reason, I always think that I am going to get a lot of blogging done when I'm on vacation. I never do. I really should just hang out the "be back soon" sign and forget about it. So, today as I try to get back to some form of "normal" at my house...I thought I'd take a minute to let you know that I'm still here!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) and a safe and happy start to 2012. We headed to Florida on the 17th, arriving on the 18th. My dad came over from Sarasota to meet us for a few days before we put him on a plane on the 22nd and sent him back to Illinois to spend Christmas with my sister and her family and my son. We stayed in Florida and celebrated with our daughter, getting home on the 28th. It was our 5th Christmas in Florida and we had the best weather we have ever had with temperatures in the mid 80's the entire time. It was gorgeous! Of course, I caught a horrible cold almost immediately (do you think the 60 degree temp change did it) which I then passed on to my daughter and my husband. I didn't feel great, but believe me it is much easier to have a cold when it is 85 than when it is cold and gray!

We drove home once again on our wedding anniversary! We celebrated 37 years, riding in the car. Our son called the morning of our anniversary as we were leaving our hotel in Alabama, to tell us he was headed to the ER with chest pains...so, it was a long drive home, a stop to pick up the dogs at the puppy hotel and we went straight to the hospital. By the time we got there, they had decided he was suffering from stress related chest pain, they kept him overnight and told him to eat healthier and sleep more. He has 2 jobs and lives on chips and beef jerky...we hope he listens to the doctors. We picked up Steak and Shake and had a romantic anniversary dinner (haha) while unloading the car and doing laundry.

My dad arrived at our house the next day and was here until yesterday afternoon. Somehow, I did get the Christmas decorations taken down, but very little else got done. My husband was off work until today and between the 2 guys and the massive amount of football games on television...I have spent the last several days feeding the men and trying to make some progress on the laundry from the trip. Dad is flying back to Florida today, my husband went back to work this morning and while it was a really nice holiday, I'm ready to get back on some kind of schedule. So, I will be trying to finish all that laundry today, trying to find the top of my desk and hopefully get back to regular blogging.

So, what's new with you??

A Gift from the Heavens

2011-12-17T20:45:00.000-06:00

We were in the car at sunrise this morning. Everything was frost covered and quiet. The sky was clear with a hint of pink. As we got on the interstate, we saw the most beautiful sight. Lucky for me, my camera was within reach. The picture was taken from our moving car and has not been altered in any way.

What's Black and White and Red All Over?

2011-12-15T10:04:00.000-06:00

When I saw these Royal Stafford plates at HomeGoods in October, I fell in love with them. I didn't just want to set the table with them, I wanted to live in that house with the wreath on the door. I always love black and white dishes. The subtle hints of red and green really make this pattern special.

I paired them with red and white Pottery by Santa large dinner plates/chargers and simple black plates from Walmart. Charcoal flatware and black with silver placemats finish the look. I tied red napkins into a Christmas bow for an unexpected (and easy) look.

The centerpiece starts with a feather wreath surrounding a sparkling tree and crystal candlesticks at various heights. A strand of tiny LED lights and my silver and white shell balls fill in the spaces.

A favorite Christmas platter, an angel and

a sprinkling of snow and the table is done!

It is always nice to send your guests home with a little treat.

Every holiday table needs a silver sea urchin, don't you think?

I hope you are all enjoying the season and taking time to stop and appreciate all the sights and sounds. It is so easy to get lost in the rush and stress. I really think time speeds up in December!

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

A Little Old, A Little New

2011-12-14T13:08:00.000-06:00

With two library tables in my living/great room, I always have a space to put favorite seasonal decorations. This is the library table that sits behind our loveseat and you see it as you walk in our front door. This table belonged to my paternal grandmother.

I didn't change much on the spool cabinet that we brought home from my in-law's house. A simple reindeer and a hint of aqua ribbon is all that was necessary.

The coffee table got a bit of bling in the form of jewel tone "disco ball" ornaments. There was an unexpected surprise from these new Hobby Lobby ornaments. On the days when we have sunshine (which have been few), the entire room lights up with brilliant color for a short while. It is magical.

The Jolly Old Santa Claus book is a favorite treasure of mine.

It was published in 1958 by Ideals Publishing and it was such a treat when I was a child and this book came out of hiding for the year. I was always fascinated by the two pages that showed the elves making the glass ornaments in the big fireplaces. The rich colors and details impressed me as a toddler and still take my breath away today. I recently found out that this book has become valuable, but I'd never part with mine.

I am joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday

and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Please visit our hostesses today!

Crafting and Concerting!

2011-12-12T16:33:00.000-06:00

I think that most of you that read my blog on a regular basis know that I don't "craft". I work with florals, I cook and on rare occasions I attempt a bit more...but, I'm not very good at it. So, for me to actually make something is a big deal! When we were in St. Charles, MO I saw something in a shop that I liked. I just wasn't willing to pay the price that was being asked, so I decided to attempt to make something similar. I didn't take any pictures of their version, but I'm happy with mine. It is probably better that I can't see what the original looked like!

It starts with an old book. I bought mine at Goodwill and I looked for one with rough edges on the pages. I brushed a little tea along the pages to darken them and make them look more worn.

The little mouse I bought for $6.99. I loved it that he was

reading The Night Before Christmas!

I couldn't find any wrapping paper that looked like old Christmas paper, so I bought a large gift bag and cut it to make a book cover. I left the long edge exposed, and folded the paper at the top and bottom edges of the book as if I were wrapping a gift. A touch of the glue gun held the paper in place. Brown kraft paper was burned around the edges (do this over the sink, I had to turn on the water to put out a couple of fires) and the beginning words of The Night Before Christmas were printed on it before attaching it to the covered book with Mod Podge. After attaching the wording, go over the entire front of the book with Mod Podge and add a hint of glitter if you want to.

I tied a bit of twine around the book and added the mouse

to the top with a drop of hot glue. Easy!

Saturday night we went to see Lee Greenwood's Christmas Concert at our local theater. Over the years I've enjoyed a few Lee Greenwood songs, but I think in recent years he has mostly been known for singing God Bless the USA at various important events. Knowing that he sang it right after 9/11 for the firefighters and police made it even more of an honor to be in the same room with him when he sang it. The entire audience (sold out theater) stood during the song. It is certainly no wonder that Lee has won many awards, his voice is like velvet.

He has a new Christmas album and one of my favorite songs was Til The Season Comes Around Again. Click here if you'd like to hear it. If you get a chance to see him in concert, I highly recommend it.

Winter Birds

2011-12-07T19:22:00.000-06:00

The winter birds have gone back again

Here the sprightly chickadee, gone now is the willow wren

In passing greet each other as if old, old friends

And to the voiceless trees it is their own they will lend.

Winter Birds-Ray LaMontagne

The dishes were an October purchase at HomeGoods. They are Global Design Connections by Kate Williams. They will be our everyday dishes for the winter.

My focal point (and favorite piece) for this table is the beautiful red and white blown glass vase. It was a gift from my daughter for my birthday. It is so heavy and I love how the glass is blown with a few "polka-dots" in places. I used another vase inside of it to hold the flowers. I just wasn't ready to actually put water in it!

I just bought the flatware at a Bass Pro Shop last weekend. I opted to buy four place settings with the pinecones and four with the deer and mix them for a unique fall/winter look.

I think this pair of candle holders would be called hurricanes. They are in two pieces, the candlestick and the larger piece. My husband found them last week when he stopped at an estate sale. He paid $5 for the pair and they are beautiful. I have no idea what company or pattern they are-anyone know?

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

Please stop in and say hello.

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-06T09:49:00.000-06:00

My goal this year was to use silver, white, turquoise and jewel tones to create a winter look that wouldn't be screaming at me to take it down immediately after Christmas. My family has always teased me about wanting to take the tree down as the last present is opened. I really do put things away very quickly because I'm usually so sick of looking at them. I hope that maybe this year I've used a few things that can stay out through the winter. The vintage silver tray and compote were my mother's. I've used them on the library table at the top of the stairs. A mercury glass turquoise votive, silver and white seashell balls and a lidded jar full of jewel tone ornaments add a bit of color to this part of the house.

The opposite side of the table holds a snowy white church

and a collection of sparkling trees.

The book was a favorite of my children's.

It brings back many memories.

I don't think you can ever go wrong when you add vintage postcards.

My china cabinet is a bit unusal this year. The fox was a HomeGoods find. I bought it thinking it would look so cute curled up under the tree, until I realized that I couldn't have a tree on the floor with the new puppy. Wouldn't that fox tail be fun to chew on?? So, I put some fresh greenery on top of the cabinet and added the fox, a wintery birdhouse, some snowballs and an icy wreath. I know the fox is a little large for the spot, but I don't care...I like him.

The cloche holds a reindeer of my grandmother's and an ornament from my in-law's just to add a little of the turquoise to this space.

I did buy a new wreath for the wall above the stairway. It isn't showing up in the picture the way it really looks. Our walls are a fairly dark taupe and the wreath is heavily snow covered greenery with pinecones. I wanted something I could leave out all winter and this is perfect.

I am joining Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays and

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday

Please take time to visit our hostesses!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-05T13:31:00.000-06:00

Saturday, for the first time in many, many years, we went to St. Charles, MO to get in the spirit of Christmas. St. Charles is just outside of St. Louis and a quaint town with a beautiful Historic District full of shops, restaurants and brick streets. We hadn't been since our children were young, so with the weather perfect (it was 60 degrees) and a day with no plans, we took off early to enjoy Christmas Traditions in St. Charles.

Most of the shops were in buildings like the one above.

Everything was decked out beautifully for Chistmas.

We stopped for a look at the old mill.

A blacksmith was busy at work.

Chestnuts were roasting over an open fire. The lovely lady in the cape was one of the "flower girls". She walked through town with her flower basket. She handed me "her card" which you could see children collecting from all of the characters.

I loved this Santa.

This is the "Sweet Tooth Fairy". Until this year, for the past 5 years, she (Laura Coppinger) has been hired by the city to be the Sugar Plum Fairy. She was evidently one of the most popular and well-loved characters. According to news reports, Coppinger's problems began when she was sent by the city to take a drug test. After she filled a cup with her sample, she flushed the toilet, which is against the regulations. She said she used a curse word after she was told she would need to provide another sample. According to the Rules of Conduct, "Christmas Characters don't know naughty words" so she was not allowed to be the Sugar Plum Fairy this year. Two of the businesses, a candy shop and a cookie shop, hired her to be the Sweet Tooth Fairy instead as people were so upset about her not being the Sugar Plum Fairy. She was darling and human. How silly.

It was a wonderful day. It was also very crowded. I was surprised at how many were there with small children in strollers. The brick streets and sidewalks, stores with steps and many businesses with signs that said "no strollers" made this seem like an impossible task in my opinion. Some of the stores were so crowded that we couldn't get in the door. So, my suggestion if you live anywhere near St. Charles, take time to visit. It is wonderful. I also suggest that this is one place you don't want to take a stroller.

I also had to tell you about my cupcake. The picture above is from the website of Jilly's Cupcake Bar. I didn't take a picture of mine because I ate it too fast. Mine was actually better looking that this one, the frosting covered the entire top and it was huge. This is called the Bee Sting. It is vanilla cake with honey lemon curd filling and topped with lemon cream cheese, toasted almonds and a lemon candy dust. The top had a piece of white chocolate that looked like honeycomb. Jilly's has several locations in St. Louis and also had them for sale at a shop in St. Charles. Jilly's won Cupcake Wars on the Food Network and I certainly understand why. My cupcake was over $6 and worth every penny! Take a look at the Jilly's website, you won't believe these flavors!

Simple Holiday Salad and My Sister's Table

2011-11-30T20:47:00.001-06:00

For the past few years, my husband, son and I have spent Thanksgiving at home, just the 3 of us. With family scattered, it was just the way it worked out. We really didn't mind, most years we just ordered our meal from Cracker Barrel because I wasn't going to cook all that food for 3 people. This year, when my sister invited us to her house (about an hour and half away) we said yes. She cooked, I cooked, and while both of us had one of our kids who couldn't make it, we did have 4 of our 6. One of the things I took was my mother's very easy recipe for Cranberry Relish/Salad. I don't like the "normal" cranberry sauce, but I like this and it is so simple to make.

Ingredients:

2 bags of fresh cranberries, rinsed

2 oranges, washed and with just the stem end removed

2 cans crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup (or more) nuts-chopped (walnuts or pecans)

1 1/2 cups sugar

In a food processor, coarsely chop the cranberries,

place them in a large bowl.

Next, place the oranges in the food processor

and chop them peeling and all. Add to

cranberries in the bowl.

Chop the celery, add to the mix.

Add the cans of drained pineapple.

Add the sugar and the nuts and mix well.

This is a colorful and really fresh tasting salad/relish.

It not only works well for Thanksgiving,

it is also perfect for Christmas.

It was the first holiday meal my sister and I had been together without our parents. My dad was in Florida and my mom has now been gone a year and a half.

My sis had the table set beautifully.

She used my mom's china, sterling flatware and crystal.

We had all the trimmings, way too much food and a really great day!

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday, and

Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

I'll Have a Blue Christmas...

2011-11-29T19:32:00.000-06:00

It has been a busy few days at our house. I'm sure the rest of you have been decking the halls, putting up the outside lights, shopping, wrapping or at least thinking about doing some of those things as Christmas suddenly seems as if it is almost here. We decided to do things a little differently this year and "walk on the wild side" by adding some blue lights to the mix. We have only used white lights outside for more years than I can remember. The above picture is the right side of our front porch. I always hang out my old skates, a vintage lantern and some lights, greens and berries.

The left side of our small front porch has our twig trees and a sleigh that my husband found at an auction for $15 this summer. I filled it with fresh greenery and a few more blue lights. Ignore the roping, it is so windy here that we just can't get it to stay put. The large wreath above our garage is also blue this year. It was surprising to see that several of our neighbors mixed blue in with their white lights this year. There is a blue glow in the neighborhood.

I decided to use the blue outside, because I was using the blue inside! With the puppy (she is 11 weeks old now) I knew that we couldn't have our regular tree. I bought this silver tinsel tree at an auction for $1 this summer. It isn't as tall as what we normally use, so I could sit it up on a table. So far, the pup hasn't discovered the packages. There are way too many shoes, toys and people to chew on.

I knew I wanted to use turquoise with the silver. The topper is a variety of silver twigs and sprays along with three turquoise fan shaped pieces. I wired them together and then added a single turquoise peacock. I like to use more than one ribbon color, so my bow is layered with turquoise ribbon and a silver/jewel toned ribbon. I also added royal blue, hot pink and purple ornaments to the tree. You can find instructions to make both bows and tree toppers on my sidebar.

A mix of silver wrapping papers tied with both colors of ribbon finishes the look.

Last year I put 1300 lights on my tree. This tinsel tree has one strand of lights wound around the center "trunk" of the tree. The tinsel sparkles from just those few white lights. I also put fewer ornaments so that the tree would be more visible. It was like taking a vacation from tree decorating this year. I have to admit, I loved the fact it only took an hour to decorate instead of the normal 8 or more. I may never go back to my usual look!

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. I'll be around to visit you soon!

I'm joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays.

Please take time to visit our hostesses!

It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas...

2011-11-22T13:13:00.000-06:00

Every year at this time, I try to make a music playlist of Christmas songs that are not "traditional" but touch my heart in some way. I have many Christmas CDs that I play often, but I love finding new or at least "new to me" holiday music. I thought I'd share my playlist for this year. I found all of the songs on iTunes. You can click on the ones that are highlighted to hear them. Enjoy.

The Heart of Christmas-Matthew West
Bring Christmas Home-Lee Greenwood
I Pray-Benjamin Utecht & Jim Brickman
Day After Christmas-Matthew West
Christmas Just Does This to Me-Matt Wertz
When Love Was Born-Mark Schultz
Christmas Eve-Benjamin Utecht
Christmas Spirit-Richard Marx
Give This Christmas Away-Matthew West & Amy Grant
When the Rain Turns to Snow-Lee Greenwood
The Blessings-Alabama
It Could Happen Again-Collin Raye
December Makes Me Feel This Way-Dave Koz
Christmas Eve With You-Glee Cast Version

Fire! Well, almost!

2011-11-21T11:43:00.000-06:00

The one thing that we have missed since buying our house 8 years ago, is a fireplace. With the exception of our first little starter house, we have had always had one. Each year at this time, we find ourselves talking about adding one, but the cost to add a wood-burning fireplace would be impossible. Last year we even bought the Fireplace DVD for our television (it wasn't too bad really)! We finally decided to do something about it over the weekend and we are thrilled with the result. I try to avoid pictures of our television and entertainment center...not blog pretty, but when we bought our flatscreen television 2 years ago, we also bought an entertainment center for it.

It is currently sitting in our dining area, waiting to go live at one of my friend's homes. Lucky for both of us, we had something to get rid of and it was something she needed. I liked our cabinet and it was perfect for what we needed it for. However, at the time we bought the new television, we couldn't budget an entertainment center that we really wanted. Please excuse the lighting...it is dark, gray and raining here today.

This is our new one! It is larger than the old one, a little longer and quite a bit taller. It also has glass on the cabinets, which I am not used to. If I behaved like most bloggers, I would only have "pretties" sitting behind those glass doors. We live in our house, so I have CDs on one side and DVDs on the other. They are not nearly as pretty as white pitchers and pieces of coral would be, but it just makes sense for us. The fireplace is very realistic looking. It puts out a nice amount of heat (or you can turn the heat off) and it has a tiny remote. I thought I'd miss the "real" fire, but actually, this is so easy and no worries about putting it out before going to bed.

It is still an entertainment center and that big television is still a bit of an eyesore, but we certainly couldn't live without it, the TIVO or stereo at our house. It also will be perfect when we finally get to move south in a few years. I'm not sure that between the warm puppy in my lap and a warm fire, I may ever get anything done around here!

I'm joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday.

Please stop by to say hello to her!

Tablescapes for Charity

2011-11-18T09:49:00.000-06:00

Every year one of my favorite area events is a charity event called "Settings for St. Anthony's". Wright's Furniture in Dieterich, Illinois hosts the event and the proceeds support St. Anthony Hospital's Mother/Baby Home Care Program. Business owners from several area towns each sponsor a table and it is fun to see what they create. I am posting pictures of some of the tables. The lighting in the store is a little strange, so the colors aren't quite "true". Which is your favorite?

Christmas Preview, Perfect Pumpkin Recipe and Zoe Update

2011-11-15T14:10:00.002-06:00

I didn't really have any pictures to show of my current tabletops. I actually took down all of the fall pumpkins and "orangey" things on Sunday. I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but as much as I love fall...I have a low tolerance for fall decorations. I enjoy them for a short period of time and I wanted some empty spaces before the holiday decorations go up.

This year is going to pose some interesting problems for us with decorating. Zoe is now 9 weeks old and everything is a chew toy to her. It dawned on me that we won't be able to have a tree that sits on the floor and certainly no presents within reach of those sharp puppy teeth. What to do, what to do? People say it is like having a new baby, it is worse. A baby this age stays where you put them!

I was lucky enough to find a silver tree at an auction. It looks like the old aluminum tree my grandmother had, but it isn't that old I'm sure. It isn't as tall of a tree as we are used to, so I think I can put it up on a table.

I knew that I could go many directions using a silver tree and the ideas have been spinning in my head. Black and silver, gold and silver, deep purple? I'm showing you a few pictures of what I decided on.

I won't decorate until after Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I can

make this pretty and "puppy safe" at the same time!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

The recipe for these perfect muffins isn't mine. When I saw them posted by Monica @ Lick the Bowl Good, I knew I had to make them. You can find the recipe here.

I will confess that when I got to the part in Monica's recipe that said to shape the cream cheese filling into a roll and chill it for 2 hours, I thought...nope, want them now! So, hers are much more perfect looking than mine. I simple put a blob of the cream cheese on top of the first half of the batter in the cup and topped with more batter (see below).

I actually forgot to take a picture of the inside of the muffin until about 2 days after I made them. They were much prettier fresh from the oven. The picture will give you an idea of how my filling isn't as perfectly centered as Monica's. However, they tasted fantastic. I will be making these again!

Zoe is growing. She had her first puppy checkup and weighed 4 pounds. She has figured out what to do outside (although on occasion she still does it inside). She slept through the night last night with no accidents! This is a big deal! I do seem to work my day around her right now, but I expected that. We still can't get her to stop chasing Nike. Nike is interested in her, from a distance. She doesn't like to be crashed into and jumped on, so we are really hoping that eventually we will be able to have them both free in the house without watching every second.

I am joining Yvonne @ StoneGable for On the Menu Monday

(a little late)

Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Please visit our hostesses!

Food, Fun and Fall

2011-11-09T13:28:00.000-06:00

I'm still sorting through my vacation pictures and I thought I'd share a few more of the highlights with you. I think you might recognize Cinderella's coach. We attended Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party whle we were in Orlando. It is a Halloween party held in the Magic Kingdom several evenings before Halloween. They close the park at 7:00 p.m. to the general public and the only people allowed in are those who purchase a special ticket. It is a bit costly and not something I would do every year, but it is fun. Many people are in full costume (including the characters), the fireworks take on a "spooky" theme and the lines for the rides are very short. There is also a special parade led by The Headless Horseman.

Several places throughout the Magic Kingdom they have trick-or-treat locations (see above) and they give out a massive amount of candy. We each ended up with 2 bags full of "the good stuff". There are a few pictures of the castle/fireworks at the end of this post.

I've written before about my favorite restaurant when we go to visit my dad on Siesta Key. Owens Fish Camp is located in the "artsy" area of Sarasota. It isn't easy to find and the parking is lousy, but it is so worth it! We always try to sit out on the porch to eat, but there is also quite a bit of indoor seating.

We started the meal with a jar of their Smoked Fish Spread.

My dad, daughter and I shared the Low Country Boil for 2 and we had plenty of food. We also had the smaller sized Fried Green Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese and Smoked Ham.

My husband had the Fish Tacos with Green Salsa and Baja Sauce.

We even had dessert because it is so good. We shared the Blackberry Fried Pies and the Bourbon Pecan Pie with Cream. We could barely walk, but we enjoyed every bite!

It may look as if we do nothing but eat on vacation. There is a bit of truth to that, but since I'm not going to post pictures of us at the swimming pool...you get food pictures!

Another favorite for us is Sharkey's on the Pier in Venice, FL. The restaurant is right on the water and so casual there are people on the beach, in bathing suits walking around the restaurant. When I'm in a location with water, if I can eat near the beach it is a bonus for me!

We had a little visitor while we waited for our food.

Once again, we had a great meal. My daughter had the Fish Tacos.

I always get the same thing. It is actually an appetizer. The Brie and Apple Pizza is a crispy flatbread with Granny Smith Apples, Brie, Mango Glaze and Almonds. I've tried to duplicate it at home and I just can't get it quite right.

My husband had the fried shrimp.

My dad had the day's special of Mac and Cheese with Andouille Sausage (excellent).

Until my next round of calorie laden foods...I leave you with Cinderella's Castle.

I am joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays.

Please visit our hostesses!

Roastfish & Cornbread...Zoe Update

2011-11-08T11:43:00.000-06:00

Well, Zoe the pup has taken over our entire lives. She was 8 weeks old yesterday and she is sweet, lovable and exhausting. We don't seem to remember it quite this way from when our old Nike was this age, over 15 years ago. She goes out every 2 hours, which means I have been out in the rain more in the past week than I have been in the past 5 years. She is too little to "hold it" at night, so around 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., my husband is cleaning out the crate/kennel and walking around outside in his bathrobe. He is very much a person who requires/expects/demands his sleep, so he is looking at me like "why did I let you do this"! She chews on everything, so I'm picking up shoes, power cords and everything else that isn't glued down-all day long. She wants so badly for our old dog to play, that she chases her through the house, nipping at her ankles until she gets a warning snarl and then she does it all over again. If Nike could talk, she would be asking when this d*** puppy was going home.

However, she snuggles up and sleeps in your lap for long periods of time. She looks at you with big, brown eyes that seem to say that she loves you more than anything in the world. She plays with her toys, rolling and jumping like a frog. She chases sunbeams (when we have them) on the carpet and she has certainly taken a home with 2 middle-aged boring people with a boring dog and turned us upside-down. We love her. We have no regrets at all, but we will certainly be glad when the accidents stop and she can sleep through the night!

Now, on to other things...food! While vacationing on Hilton Head Island in October, we had wonderful southern food in a few very interesting places. Our first night, we went to a restaurant called Roastfish & Cornbread. It was the only restaurant that I had circled in the guidebook before leaving home and it was recommended to us by 2 different staff people at the hotel.

The restaurant isn't large, so I highly recommend going early. The mood was casual, funky and fun. Chef David Vincent Young has created a menu with so many wonderful choices, we didn't know what to do. He also has a delicious selection of vegetarian dishes which sounded wonderful. You can watch him stroll through the restaurant, keeping an eye on things. The staff was superb, the food was perfect.

It was difficult to get interior pictures. You can see the artwork on the walls. You are looking at the back of a large church pew, which is the seating for a semi-private dining table.

We didn't have to wait for a table because we went early,

but when we left...people were waiting for tables.

We started our meal with a delicious house salad. That is a yellow tomato, not an egg yolk on the plate. The house dressing was wonderful.

I selected one of the evening's specials, Fried Softshell Crab (one of my favorites) with hushpuppies and a side of their special Sweet Potato Cornbread. The crab was cooked perfectly. The cornbread was interesting. It had the crumbly texture of cornbread, but tasted more like carrot cake.

My husband loves Conch Fritters. He often orders them as an appetizer when we are in a southern state. This was the first time we have ever seen them served as a main dish. He said they were perfect, along with hushpuppies and fries. This was not a lowfat meal for us!

I forgot to take a picture of our dessert. We shared a mini-tart. It was a Blueberry Key Lime Pie. I thought that it would be a tiny pie with blueberries on top, but actually they placed blueberries on the crust before pouring in the filling. So, each bite had blueberry in it as well as a few fresh berries on top with the whipped cream.

This was a really interesting and fun place to visit and the food could not have been better. It would certainly be on my list to visit again when I'm back on Hilton Head.

Quick & Easy Chicken Soup

2011-11-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

I have been reading Joanne Fluke novels for several years. They are light, fun mysteries that are food related. The recipes are always included in the books and I was anxious to try this very simple chicken soup recipe from the latest book, Devil's Food Cake Murder.

I made my own chicken broth with two large chicken breasts boiled in water with salt, pepper and a couple of bay leaves. You could certainly buy the broth and use a rotissere chicken for the meat. This made a thick, creamy soup that we both really enjoyed. The second day, it thickened and needed a bit of water/broth to "turn it back into soup".

Ingredient

8 cups chicken broth (you may want a little more to thin down the soup)

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

6 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

black pepper

Boil broth and add noodles, cook until tender. Add two cans of soup to the broth. Stir in the chicken and sour cream (I added a little extra broth to thin the soup a little). Sprinkle with pepper if desired. Enjoy!

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Please take time to visit her today!

Hilton Head, Disney Style

2011-11-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

The view from our balcony.

Last month my husband and I spent 5 nights on Hilton Head Island on our way home from Florida. It was our first trip to Hilton Head and we decided to stay at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. The reviews were all wonderful and it was supposed to be very quiet and peaceful. It lived up to our expectations. Sadly, the weather didn't. We had a perfect first week in Florida, but it rained every day on Hilton Head.

The resort has a fishing lodge theme. Our view was perfect, looking out over the marsh. It may be a Disney property, but there was no sign of Mickey Mouse. It couldn't feel more different than the Orlando Disney resorts.

We had a one bedroom villa. Do you see the octopus made of towels on our bed? I loved the huge porch off our unit. You could go out off the bedroom or the living room. It had 2 rocking chairs and a picnic table overlooking the marsh. It was nice during the cool, rainy week. If it had been warm and sunny, we might have spent all 5 days out there!

We had a full kitchen, although we only had breakfast in the room. You can see my birthday balloons. My silly Disney daughter called them and told them about my October birthday, so I got balloons and a birthday pin.

You can see the old fishing photos on the wall and

the colors and furniture really fit the theme.

The bath was two rooms, one with the shower, sink and toilet and the other large room with a sink and huge hot tub. We also had a washer and dryer in the room.

The pool area looked like a lot of fun.

Walking around the grounds, you didn't feel at all as if you were on an island. It seemed much more as if we were in the woods.

Of course Hilton Head is has a great beach! The Disney Resort sits on the marsh, but they own their own beach house just a mile from the resort. It was really impressive.

The beach house has a beautiful heated pool, snack bar and cocktail bar.

It has this water area for small kids and various game areas.

Keeping with the lodge theme, it also has an air-conditioned sitting area where you can read, or gather with family and friends. Best of all, it has miles of beach to enjoy!

We did have one clear day to sit on the beach and then go back and enjoy the pier at the resort. We actually had mixed feelings about Hilton Head. We had wonderful food (another later blog post) and great shopping. The beach was very nice and our resort was lovely. It is hard to form an opinion considering the weather wasn't good and the rainy days literally brought on headaches for both of us. We both left feeling glad we had visited, but not anxious to go back anytime soon. It was almost a little "too quiet" for us and a bit dark. Hilton Head has no signage that isn't at ground level. Everything is located on side roads back through the trees. At night, without a GPS it would be very easy to get lost. It was interesting and beautiful, but not on our short list of favorite places.

I am joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays.

Please visit our hostesses!

Best Birthday Ever!

2011-10-31T20:21:00.000-05:00

Saturday was my birthday. I would guess that most women my age would say that they have had wonderful birthdays and maybe a few where they spent the day crying because they felt underappreciated by their kids or their husband. I've had a couple of bad ones, and lots of good ones and some that just seem like "any other day" of the week. Saturday will be a day I won't forget. I did get gifts I loved from my husband, kids, grands, dad and beautiful flowers from my sister.

I had lunches with friends, fun presents and

Facebook wishes from people I've known since childhood.

AND...

Zoe came to live with us!

Some of you may know that we already have a beagle. She was 15 in June and my daughter said that she really thinks of her as a sibling. Nike (my kids were both runners) is doing fairly well for such an old dog, but she no longer wants to sit in the chair with us, or curl up on the foot of the bed. She comes up for a quick rub on the head and then pretty much wants to be left alone. We've always known that we would get another beagle, someday. After a lot of discussion (imagine me begging) we decided that maybe it would be better to get Nike a little sister than to "replace" her later. We were already fighting a few old dog accidents (we bought a carpet cleaner) and they say that puppies are good for elderly dogs.

Nike spends much of her day napping.

Nike as a puppy.

My husband says Zoe is mine, but look at him.

I started looking for a purebred beagle about 2 months ago. They aren't all that easy to find, even in the Midwest. So many breeders want you to pick your puppy from an internet picture, send a deposit and either pick your pup up in person or at the airport where it is flown in. We want our puppy to pick us! We found Zoe and her 7 siblings at an Amish family home about an hour from us. There were 4 little girls and we let her pick us two weeks ago and then we had to leave her there and wait until Saturday to pick her up! She is 7 weeks old today.

She has already discovered toys.

We were concerned about the putting them together for the first time. We took them out on the deck where I could have Nike on a tether and pull her away if things went wrong, but it was fine. The puppy chases Nike all over the place trying to get her to play and Nike watches over her with more patience than she really feels.

We haven't had much sleep the past two nights, but we know that will get better. It is sort of like having a new baby in the house. I think some would think we are crazy because we have our dogs longer than we have had any house we have owned! But, we love her already!

Witches and Spiders and Rats, Oh My!

2011-10-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

I've taken a bit of a break from tablescaping lately. Since I love Halloween, I decided it was the perfect time to set a pretty?? table. I'm not sure rats and spiders could ever be considered pretty!

A Halloween table runner, silver chargers, black WalMart dinner plates and Cracker Barrel salad plates along with black flatware set the mood. Black stemware and small cordial glasses finish the setting. Does anyone know the pattern or maker of the cordials?

My husband found them at a garage sale recently.

Layered black napkins and Halloween napkins topped with beaded spiders...creepy!

A witches hat and a rat...

The Halloween brush tree was a new purchase this year at HomeGoods.

Because the haunted house candleholder faced one side of the table,

I needed to build something on the other side.

The tree and a few sparkly pumpkins filled in the space nicely.

Of course it wouldn't be Halloween without a

little candlelight and darkness!

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday

Please stop by to say hello to our hostess!

Morning Sunrise

2011-10-26T13:22:00.000-05:00

Some pictures need no words.

Please visit Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer

for Outdoor Wednesday.