Sunday Favorites

Well, I'm finally going to join my bestest, sweetest blogging friend Chari @ http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/ for Sunday Favorites! Chari has such a beautiful blog! She is one talented lady, and have I mentioned how sweet she is? Well she is! So be sure and go by and say hi and check out other blog favorites you might have missed the first time around! But before you go I wanted to revisit my very first tablescape! This was March 2009! So long ago! (LOL)

I was just mindin' my own business! I had the day off and was in the kitchen baking a birthday cake for my son, nephew and brother-n-law (they're birthdays are the 11th, 9th and the 6th of March) and I was thinking about all the beautiful tablescapes I had been privy too that morning via Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ and one thought led to another and before I knew it I was imitating Laurie at bargainhuntingwithlaurie running all over the house looking for just the right thing to complete my tablescape! I hope you enjoy it! I really did have fun!

It's a garden theme! I didn't use placemats because there wasn't room and I really love my handpainted table! Can you see the tree branches? There's a wren and nest under my plates! I did it myself! Painted right over the top of an antique oak pedastal table and my husband hasn't forgiven me yet! Recognize the green glassware from Old Time Pottery?! I told you they would go with my everyday china!

This pattern is George Briard and you had to buy it in sets of four because each plate has a different flower! Wasn't I a horrible bride?! It's discontinued now but I have seen it on China Replacements, Inc. And this is gonna hurt ya...years ago I had alot more of it including some serving pieces I had displayed on a wall mounted shelf in our kitchen in our first house and one day I was mopping the floor and I had moved the table and chairs out from under the light fixture... when I raised up from bending over mopping my back hit the bottom of the shelf which pulled it away from the wall and CRASH! Not much survived. Luckily I only had 2 plates and 2 salads up there or I probably wouldn't have what I have now!

Lupinus, texensis or better known as Texas Bluebonnet! Do you see my little butterfly and bunny Sabino glass?

Persicum Giganteum or Cyclamen. See the little Sabino squirrel chewing on a nut!

Viola Pedata or Bird's-Foot Violet. Over in the left hand corner you can see my Sabino garden statue. It's a little cherub holding a bouquet of flowers!

Chrysanthemum Segetum or Corn Marigold

The flatware was my grandmothers. The white chargers are actually plates from Southern Living! I'm trying to collect the whole set! So far I've got 4 plates and 4 bowls. The butterfly napkins were a gift from my dad who was always perusing a good garage sell. I have the tablecloth to match! He found so many great things at garage sales! Alot of junk, but alot of good things too!

Don't know if you can really see. I used a bird's nest and faux violets in my Southern Living toile pots and of course my Sabino glass pieces and a Goebel bird and I had the little garden urn...it was a candle that had burned down and this Christmas I was putting up things and there was this silver ball and the urn and I thought hmmm if I turn it upside down in this urn it looks like a miniature garden reflectory ball! Aren't I just so clever?! LOL

Thanks for taking a look at my first tablescape! God Bless! Now be sure and go over to Susan's to see all the other great tablescapes! I'm going too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's that time of year to remember and to be thankful for all of our blessings!

It's late and I've made the Southern Living Magazine pumpkin pie recipe and my family's favorite rum pie. I've polished the silver and set the table. The turkey I'm hoping is completely thawed! Schedules for oven time are swirling in my brain but I'm just too tired and I'll figure that out tommorrow! (you can call me Scarlett!) I've created a tablescape I'm rather proud of and it's all been inspired by every one of you! I am counting my blessings for my blogging friends! Some of the sweetest ladies I've never met! (LOL!) It is such a blessing to get to share one another's creativities and thusly each other's lives. The ladies I've met are all about beauty, creativity, love of family and home and of God. I am constantly inspired, touched, awed and humbled by each one of you! Thank you! and Thank God for bringing us together!

I know that you all have probably already got your Christmas decorations up and I'm just now getting around to showing you some of my fall decor with my Thanksgiving table! I am having my in-laws over for Thanksgiving. First my sons and I are going over to my mother's assisted living and eating turkey and dressing with her! I'm going to have 2 Thanksgiving dinners! Boy, am I going to have alot of dieting to do after the New Year!

I did the arrangement myself! They're real too!

My china is Marjolaine by Havilland Limoges. I love it! I love the colors, the flowers, the scalloped edges....I picked it out 25 years ago and I still love it! The gold chargers are the one's my mother-n-law gave me. I wanted something different for the Thanksgiving table so I combined 2 wired ribbons and just laid them over the top of the charger and then just folded down the edges!

Look at my napkins! I've had these for awhile! I think I got them at Target years ago! They're ivory with a little gold thread going thru them and gold autumn leaves. There are actually 2 different sprigs that make up the napkin rings. I took some of the ribbon I used on the chargers and just stapled the ends together on the back then just tucked in the leaf sprig and put the acorns on top. They're actually Christmas sprigs I got at Michaels half off!

Here's my close-up Mr. DeMille! My crystal is Wedgewood Majesty. I got the little candleholders at Michael's too. They're Christmas too! And on sale 40% off! There's alot of copper and brown and purple this year for Christmas! Not my style though. I am still a traditional red and green person myself.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Pineapple Cake Extraordinaire!

Hello Everybody! Last night I promised the recipe to this oh so fabulous cake! My mother-n-law gave it to me years ago! Before my husband and I were even married! It's his favorite cake! For years I didn't make it for him because the kids always wanted chocolate cake with chocolate icing which my husband loves too! I made it one year for my boss on her 49th birthday; my dear friend who was my manager at Curves. She's the one working at the jewelry shoppe now! You know, the one who got my hubby to get me that amethyst ring for our anniversary! Come to think of it...I ought to make her one now just to thank her!

Of course I'm linking to Michael's wonderful blog http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com. Be sure and check out all the wonderful recipes everyone else is sharing today!

My menu for my husbands 51st birthday was a wonderful pork tenderloin out of Southern Living's cookbook, the DH's favorite potatoes out of the Silver Palate Cookbook from way back, and a great salad I got out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine! I served a wonderful Zinfadel from the wineries at the Biltmore Estate! I am usually a Merlot lady myself but this was perfect! And it had such a beautiful pink color too it! Okay, for the moment you've been waiting for! (sorry I didn't take pics of the food!)

Favorite Pineapple Cake:

1 yellow cake mix

1 15 oz. can crushed pineapple

1 pint sour cream

4 tbsp. corn starch

1/2 to 1 cup sugar ( I used 3/4 cup)

Make the cake as directed on the box. It helps to oil and flour the pans for easy release. Let cool thouroughly. I made the cake 2 days in advance and wrapped well in saran wrap and you can either freeze or store layers in refridgerator. Cut each layer in half with serrated knife before adding filling.

To make filling: In med. saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Add pineapple (juice too) and cook carefully until thickened. Try not to burn! Cool completely and then add sour cream stirring slowly to blend well. Fill between halved layers of cake. FYI: I actually forgot to add sour cream this time but it was still delicious!

Cooked White Fluffy Icing:

In top of double boiler combine:

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/3 cup water

Beat with hand mixer until icing forms stiff peaks. Yes, this may take a while! But it is worth it! Let cool slightly and fold in 1 tsp. of vanilla extract. When cooled, ice your cake as normal.

This is a cake made best atleast 1 night before serving! Enjoy!

Hello Everybody! Boy! I am just squeaking in at the end of Tablescape Thursday! But I thought if I don't go ahead and put this in I won't be around til after Thanksgiving! I don't know how you all keep up with all of your wonderful posts! I really miss visiting with everyone! So I'm back to show you the fancy table I set for my hubby's 51st birthday! I had his parent's over and made his favorite cake, pineapple! Boy, do I have a recipe for you! But I think my mother-n-law would disown me if I shared it. But guess what?! They don't have a computer! So, I'll post my recipes tommorrow on Foodie Friday! I'm so bad!! Of course you've probably already been over to Susan's at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/. She has the most beautiful blog, especially with everyone sharing their tablescapes today! Anyway...here's my tablescape:

Gold chargers were gifts from my mother-n-law. What do you think of my fall china?! Did you guess it's paper?! Yes, I used paper plates! I thought they were so pretty and I wanted a Fall table! Hey! Have you priced some of those fancy paper products lately?! Some of ya'll have bought real china for much less! (LOL!)

My crystal wine glasses are "Majesty" from Wedgewood. I don't think Wedgewood is making crystal anymore. The green etched glasses I used for water or tea. They're from Old Time Pottery. I bought them last year for about $1.50 per stem. The Wedgewood is about $50 a stem!

Notice the flowers? I used a glass vase I bought at a thrift store. I didn't have any floral foam so I carefully cut all the flowers down to size and then placed them in so full they couldn't fall over! I also used a closeup of them on my Fall blog header! The candle votives came from Walgreen's last year! The tablecloth is actually yellow gold but it doesn't show up very well in these pics. I bought it two years ago at Tuesday Morning. It's reversible!

Paper plates and matching napkins and my mother's sterling! I really mixed it up for this tablescape! (LOL) This pattern I think is Stradivarius. That's all I know. It got stolen once and mom and dad had to replace it. Did you notice how the etching on my green glasses is reflected on the knife?
I'm so glad to be back! Hopefully with Thanksgiving and Christmas I'll have stuff to blog about!

A friend emailed me this and I thought about all of you!