Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Strawberry Fields........

Forever!



This is the time of year when the most delicious Strawberries are grown in Plant City, Florida.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Transformation

Transforming our Family Room into an intimate dining area took a little bit of creative thinking and work.

Our Family room and kitchen dining area normally look like this -



We hosted a Rehearsal Dinner in our home for about 30 people.  So the transformation happened like this -

Removal of sofa, rugs, tables and chairs

set up 8 foot tables and folding chairs


My daughter worked her magic with decorating the tables.



The coffee station proved to be very popular on a cold night.


The heart shaped napkin tutorial was found HERE.  Perfect for Valentine's Day, Anniversary or Wedding party.

 Candles are lit, we are just waiting for the guests to arrive.


 Buffet provided by Holy Hog Bar-B-Que.

It turned out to be a delightful evening.


Sunday, February 22, 2015

Sunday Morning



"The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country."

~George Washington ~

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Valentine Memories

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but the beauty of it lingers on.



Monday, February 16, 2015

Outdoor Tea

It's been a beautiful day today.  With temps reaching in the mid 70's, it was a perfect day to take my tea outside.


Sunday, February 15, 2015

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day


Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart. 

(Kay Knudsen)

Happy Valentine's Day

Friday, February 13, 2015

Love the Old Classics!

I think I must be a romantic at heart.

I love to read old stories. I fell in love with the classics several years ago.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice stole my heart. The love story between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy wrapped me up in their emotional interludes. Love/hate/misunderstandings/reconciliation/happy ending. How could I ask for more?

And then there was Emma,

the spoiled country girl who tried to be the matchmaker. Only to find that it was she who would lose in love. Ah! But there is also another happy ending.

Sense and Sensibility............

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Valentine's Breakfast

Several years ago Susan's post on Between Naps on the Porch shared a Valentine's Breakfast. I took a double take as I noticed a few familiar things. So I thought I would try to recreate her beautiful Valentine's Breakfast.

My daughter has this beautiful antique bedspread, but it was not large enough for my bed. So I reversed the colors and used my beautiful Chaps bedspread and laid the antique one at the foot.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Be Mine

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than a quiet breakfast for two.



"Be Mine" by Sandra Kuck

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Let's warm up a frigid day

I love living in the South. The balmy weather makes for very pleasant days almost year round. But about this time of year, someone always leaves the door open from the frigid North and we get bombarded with pretty cold weather.

So on days like today, I love to make a pot of Chili to serve up hot and filling. Add a little salad on the side and what a great meal to ward off the cold weather.



I love these beautiful dishes that I found at Goodwill a few years ago. I nearly left them because they only had Soup bowls and salad plates. I'm so glad I decided to bring them home.

Soup and Salad dishes - Mornay by Mikasa 
White Chargers - Westbury Court by PTS International
Soup Tureen - Nortake 
White plates with silver rim - Royalton China (my Mom was given a place setting every time we bought gas at the Shell station many years ago. Do you remember those days?)

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Vintage finds

I think I must be terribly romantic. I love Jane Austen's weaving love stories from the 1700's. I could read Pride and Prejudice over and over, and probably never tire of reading about Elizabeth and Darcy.

As I was checking out at one of my favorite thrift stores there was a box filled with music CD's. There are no sleeve covering, so I guess that is why they were giving them away. When I looked through the box, it was mostly older tunes. I could take up to 10 CD's, so I picked out some that I thought I might be familiar with.

It was my intention to pop them into the CD player in the car and decide whether I would keep them or pass them on.

They sat on the kitchen counter, waiting patiently for me in a zippy bag, until one day I threw the bag into my purse and took them with me.

The first few CD's were not very appealing to me, so I would fast forward them, and then pop it out and plug another one into the player. That is until this one -

I just don't know what it was about this CD, but I was swooning. My Mom always liked the music from the theater and movies. So when these started, I was lost.

Climb Every Mountain, from the Sound of Music. Oh What a Beautiful Morning, from Oklahoma. Over the Rainbow, from Wizard of Oz. Sunrise, Sunset, from Fiddler on the Roof. The Impossible Dream, from Man of LaMancha. You'll Never Walk Alone........... I mean they just went on, and on.

It was such a pleasant ride, singing and swooning. I never did make it through the other 7 CD's!

Happy thriftin'.


Monday, February 2, 2015

Tea for One

Recently my sweet daughter went yard saleing with her friend. She found some very lovely things. And among those things, she bought a beautiful tea cup for me.

I added a platter that I found at GoodWill to dress up the Noritake cup and saucer.

I was also treated to home made Banana Streusel muffins. We ate them hot out of the oven. Yummm........

And so today I am enjoying Tea for One.

Thanks so much for joining me.  Please be sure to stop by and visit these other lovely blogs.

Sunday, February 1, 2015