Holiday Project?

Could I "borrow" this idea for my Christmas table?  Why, yes I could!

Source: horchow.com via Christine on Pinterest

My sweet husband helped me to figure out how much ribbon I need, which involved the "something" x Pi kind of stuff...yikes!  So now I'm looking for the best place (that means cheapest) to purchase grosgrain ribbon. 144 yards are needed to be exact.  Also need to decide what color I want.  Red, green & white pretty much limits use to Christmas, or burgandy & evergreen colors, which I could use more often.

This is going to be a FUN project!

Sunday Sermon

"Most people come to God and say, 'I need you for the big things.'  But God says, 'You need Me for everything.'"  Christopher Coleman







Something New!

Usually, when the UPS truck rumbles up our driveway, it means my husband has ordered some tractor part.  Not today, the package was for me. Whoo Hoo!

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a Blessings Unlimited party at a girlfriend's home.  The consultant showed so many wonderful items, that I had a tough time choosing what I wanted to purchase.  I finally decided on something that I think I'll use all year long, but especially during the Holidays!

Here's a photo of my new lantern!  It's about 18" tall, so it'll make quite the statement.  I can't wait to get a new candle & something "fall-ish" to dress it up!  I'm thinking it can sit in the middle of my dining room table, or maybe as part of a coffee table vignette.

What have you added to your stash of decorative accessories lately?

Sunday Sermon

"God speaks to each us in the beauty of every flower,

in the grace of every tree, in the shimmer of every star."

~ Carolyn Hoppe ~



Mushrooms, Toadstools, Fungus!

We had some rain & wind a couple of days ago.  As you can see in the photo below, it sent my birdhouse into a bit of a lean! 

This morning, I walked out to investigate what needs to be done to set the birdhouse aright. I also took my camera to show off my latest crop! They are inedible of course, but lovely in their own way. We often get "fairy rings" amongst our trees, but this is the largest collection yet!  Some of the caps on these were almost 4" across.

My husband had started to kick a few of them over until I yelled "STOP"!  Boys!

 

 

I almost forgot to look down as I walked. If I hadn't done so, I would have missed these little beauties. The caps range from dime to quarter size.

What's surprising you in your yard today?

Rubber Bumpers

If you have brown, half-inch square, rubber bumpers on the back of any of your framed art...

Do not walk, RUN to remove them!

Sorry it's blurred, but you get the idea?

We were visiting family for 2 days.  Having turned the air conditioner off to conserve energy, I imagine the inside temp may have reached the high 80's, at most. 

This is what I found when we returned!  It is a sticky, ugly, mess!  I tried to use a little fingernail polish remover on a Q-Tip and it also removes the paint; of course it does!  I might try "Goo Gone"?

I've been wanting to repaint my rooms, looks like the time is now!  Ugh!




See the brown goo running down my wall?

Happened in the living room too.

Flowers work as  a convenient camouflage!

These bumpers have been on these art pieces for at least 15 years.  I never imagined this could happen.  I do know that the brown felt bumpers can also stain, so I use the white felt or clear acrylic bumpers now. 

Fortunately, these two pieces are the only two that have the old bumpers.  But when we owned our custom frame shop franchise, the brown rubber type were the ones recommended by our company.  We used literally hundreds of them on customer's frames!  I am praying that this has not happened to anyone else. 

Yikes!

Chris



I'm a lousy blogger!

Today is National Gumbo Day, according to my Gallo Family calendar.  I invited my friend Pat to have lunch, gumbo of course, to celebrate.  I used a recipe I found on the Martha Stewart website, Half-Hour Chicken Gumbo.  I also baked cornbread, from scratch, & Bumbleberry Blossoms, frozen from Safeway.  Lunch was actually a snap!

I set the table with my Fall leaf plates, Polka Dot bowls...everything looked and tasted wonderful!

DID I GET JUST ONE PHOTO???  NO!!!  NOPE!!!  NADA!!!

I missed the photo of the table setting.
I missed the photo of Pat arriving.
I missed the photo of the piping hot gumbo.
I missed the photo of the deliciously browned cornbread.
I missed the photo of the Bumbleberry Blossom, served with cream poured over.
Perfect blog content, right?

Why can't I remember my camera!?!? 

What I have to show for the day:

The leftover gumbo,

The leftover cornbread,

The leftover dessert,

What's left of the table setting,

And the dirty dishes!

How do you all remember your camera?  HELP!

Thoughts on Fall

Winter is an etching,

spring a watercolor,

summer an oil painting

and autumn a mosaic of them all.

-Stanley Horowitz

Yesterday, cool rain.

Today, parly cloudy.

Tomorrow, a sunny 84 degrees.

Day after that, who knows?

I LOVE Fall!

How To Spend a Saturday Afternoon

Sometimes, the urge to be domestic just won't be chased away...no matter how hard I try!

2 Pasture-Raised Hens

All Boned & Packaged - Even Bones for Stock

Couple of Great Meals Here!

Garnishing

Our Tupperware Organization holds several Cooking Schools each year.  There are usually 6 - 8 tables where a consultant is doing a demo of a particular product and a dish made with that product. It's a fun way to show off what's new in Tupperware and give guests a chance to taste some great food. 

At the last one, I was asked to demo our FridgeSmart® Containers and Chef Series™ Pro Knives.  I had a blast looking at garnishing websites and tried to duplicate a few them.  I certainly need more practice, but the result was adequate, at least.  I do have to admit to being proud of that lobster.  I decided at the last minute to do this one and didn't have the exact fruit on hand that was in the example online.  Improvise, improvise!

I've used a few of these garnishes since and they do "guild the lily" for a special meal!  Do you use garnishes when serving kitchen creations?

Fruit Lobster

Pepper, Radish, Carrot, & Scallion Flower

FridgeSmart™ Display

Southwest Chipotle & Green Goddess Guacamole Dips
With Scallion Brushes & Hot Pepper Flower

Marthine - Chris - Cindy (2 of My Team & I)

The Painted Lady

Several years ago, my husband gave me a beautiful bird house for Christmas.  It has stood in our backyard for all this time, adding it's soft, shabby chic charm to the view.  Although you can't really tell from this photo, it is painted white, soft gray & celadon green.

It has also been well-used.  Every year, several pairs of  Tree Swallows moved in and raised their families.  It is a joy to watch. 

Birdhouse, Last Spring

After several years, the birdhouse needed repainting.  My husband took it down to check it for wasp nests (evil creatures) and said he would clean it up and paint it before placing it back on its pole.

True to his word, he did just that.  When I returned from my weekend at our church Women's Retreat, he could hardly wait to show me that he had completed his task. 

This is what I found!

Birdhouse, This Fall

His words to me were, "Doesn't it look just like a Victorian Painted Lady?".  Bright orange, bright green & bright blue...   I said, "Yes, babe; yes, it sure does!"  I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then took my luggage into the bedroom to unpack & compose myself. 

By the time I was finished unpacking and walked out of the room, I was thankful not only for the newly painted birdhouse, but also for a husband who loves me & wants to give me the desires of my heart!  (Obviously that retreat might have been good for me!)

Besides, in a couple of years, it will need to be painted again! :)