Don't settle for your life being just a bowl of cherries...

Dip it in chocolate & sprinkle on some nuts too! ;o)

Hurry...only one day left

to enter Barb's fabulous giveaway. Just look at all this great stuff! One lucky winner is going to get it all....the topiary, the wire cloche (love it!) , the cake stand & teacup & saucer. How generous is Barb?

The contest closes tomorrow so hurry over to Barb's @ Bella Vista & leave a comment to get your name in teh hat. Good luck! I think. ;o)

Tablescape Thursday & Foodie Friday combo

Hi y'all ...I'm doing a combo post again today, Foodie Friday w/ Michael @ Designs by Gollum & Tablescape Thursday w/ Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch...both ladies are super nice w/ 2 of the most popular blogs in blogland & I want to thank each of them for being our wonderful hostesses today.

This was a simple dinner party, hubby & I had for our youngest son & his girlfriend. The photos aren't that good (they're not even up to my usual mediocre abilities *rolls eyes*) as I am always soo rushed to take photos when I have company. My family is used to it but I didn't want his girlfriend to think I was tooo weird.


Everything on the table was thrifted except for the napkins (Tuesday Morning) striped glasses (dollar store), & the flatware (Target, I think but it might have been Ross or one of those stores)

It was a southwestern-themed meal so I threw a bunch of limes & peppers in a Southern Living compote (thrifted!) & called it a centerpiece.


Basil tucked into the napkin ring....it adds a wonderful aroma to the placesetting.




Embroidery detail on teh tablecloth.




My food photos suffer the most from hurriedness...sorry! Wish it looked as good as it tasted! We had Southwestern Chicken w/ Lime Butter, black beans & corn on the cob (the butter is excellent on it as well). My son brought guacamole as an appetizer (he made it himself!) but we all just stood around the island & dipped into it so I didn't get a picture of it. I know the chicken looks burnt but trust me, it wasn't. It's just the rub from the recipe. I really wish that this photo was better...this chicken recipe is one of our favorites but it's not very appealing here.

Watermelon margaritas! We make many batches every summer...this time we used yellow watermelon. Yummm...summer in a glass!

And pumpkin flan for dessert. I garnished it w/ tiny champage grapes & a lime twist.

Southwestern Chicken w/ Lime Butter (recipe by Robert Del Grande, chef of Cafe Annie's in Houston) : serves 6

Ingredients
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 lbs bone-in chicken parts
LIME BUTTER
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 serrano chili, minced
2 tablespoons finely minced white onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions
In a small bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. With a spoon or a basting brush, spread seasoning paste over the chicken. Grill chicken. In a small bowl, combine all lime butter ingredients. Drizzle over chicken just before serving or serve separately for dipping. (I usually double the lime butter & serve it w/ corn on the cob)

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Watermelon Margaritas (serves 4)

Ingredients :
2 teaspoons sugar
1 lime, cut into wedges
3 1/2 cups watermelon, cubed and seeded and frozen (be sure & freeze in a single layer so it doesn't all stick together)
1/2 cup tequila (I usually decrease just a bit)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons triple sec

Directions
Place 2 teaspoons of sugar in a saucer.Rub the rims of 6 glasses with one of the lime wedges and dip each rim in the sugar to coat. Combine watermelon, tequila, 3 tablespoons of sugar, lime juice, and triple sec in a blender, and process until smooth. Garnish with a lime wedge, if desired.

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Easy Flan

INGREDIENTS
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Meanwhile, warm a 9 inch round glass baking dish up in the oven . Carefully pour hot syrup into warm dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
3.In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Place in water bath & cover with aluminum foil.
4.Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.
5.To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

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Hope you enjoyed my Foodie Friday entry & my casual table....be sure & visit our hostesses for more tables & food.

The award for cheeziest grin in the family goes to....

Noah!!! I just love his wrinkled-up nose smile...he's even cuter than Rudy! ;o)

Some of you have asked me how Noah is doing & if he has had any more seizures...the answer is no, thank God! He had an appointment w/ his neurologist last month & he told us that he wants to do another EEG but if it still shows nothing then they will take him off the seizure meds & declare him seizure free. Thank you for all your prayers!

Met Monday & Thrifty Treasures...combo post

Hello...I'm attending 2 blog parties again today, Metamophosis Monday hosted by Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch & Today's Thrifty Treasures, hosted by Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality.

I haven't been to the half off sale days @ Goodwill in some time but w/ their price increases, I thought it might pay off. I'm not sure I'll ever brave half-off days again. The store was jam-packed & the lines were horrible...HORRIBLE! I found lots of great stuff @ good prices but considering it was 4 stores worth, I don't know that it was worth my time & patience. Yep, you heard me... 4 stores! I live in a thrift store mecca, w/ 5 Goodwills, 2 Thrift Towns & at least 3 other thrift shops, all w/in 30 minutes of me. No wonder I'm addicted, huh?

I neglected to get close-ups of everything so enlarge the pics for details if you want. My loot for the day includes apothecary jars, scalloped placemats, ironstone plates, old books, milk glass compote & dessert plate, silk rose petals, brass & glass box, miniature table, frame, glass flower frog, dresser hardware... lots of great stuff.

The plastic placemats will be featured in another Met Monday post soon...wait til you see their make-over!

Love the fleur de lis & I never have enough glass jars in my studio. The miniature table will get a coat of, you guessed it!, white paint.

I am collecting mirrors & plan on, one day, covering a whole wall of them (don't ask me where I'll find a bare wall). ...love the scrolly appeal of this one. Caralyn loves the Strawberry Shortcake doll & it sure brings back fond memories for my daughter & I. Her whole room was Strawberry Shortcake when she was Caralyn's age. The frame will be repurposed...I bought it for it's long rectangle shape.

"The best & most beautiful things in the world can not be seen or even touched. They must be felt w/ the heart." Helen Keller

Found one of my favorite quotes in a porcelain music box.

Thsi old cat looked like it would get along well w/ my dog figurine collection so I gave it a home.

Porcelain switchplate.

I used to have this beauty book when I was a teenager...had to buy it for kicks. ;o)

Dresser hardware...

old books & a brass medallion-thingamiggie....the medallion will probably be repurposed as a furniture applique

Love this vintage horse book & my grandson Caeden does too.

The old illustrations are soo charming!

But my favorite find of the day was this tiny, little sofa table. $15! But remember, that was half off...it's not worth the $30 they had on it originally. Excuse the crap on top...it was being used as a catch-all until it's make-over.

I loved it's curvy shape & it's small size but the black wasn't my style. So I painted it white (after gluing on an applique) & distressed it. I had also planned on glazing it but I must be getting tired of that look because the crisp, white finish seemed appealing to me so I left it alone. But the applique was originally gold & it needed some distressing too. I was going to take it off, paint it black, then white again & then distress it but it's glued on there pretty good. What to do, what to do?

I pulled out my sharpie & ran it along a few edges. It looks just like it had been distressed!

Hope you enjoyed my thrifty treasures & my table metamorphosis. Be sure & stop in @ Rhoda's for more thrifting fun & then swing by Susan's , to see some amazing transformations!

Pink Saturday...the elusive Caralyn.

Hello & welcome to another Pink Saturday...hosted by Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound . For today's post, I wanted to share my efforts to capture my granddaughter, Caralyn (she's wearing pink...she's always wearing pink! ) on film. She's not camera shy...she just enjoys messing w/ me. ;o) Every time she sees me point teh camera @ her, she turns her head & her hair covers her face; as you'll see in picture after picture, all taken on the same afternoon. I say she's like trying to capture a shot of Bigfoot & she really is about as elusive.


"nyah, nyah, nyah...you can't catch me!"

And the game is on!

"Not this time, Honey!"

Almost had her!

The little tease!

Dang! She's quick!!!

Missed again!

And again!

And AGAIN!

Now she's just toying w/ me!

Got her!!!! And ironically, this shot of her reminds me so much of that infamous Bigfoot photo. LOL Doesn't it? Or is just because I spent a couple of hours trying to capture her?

She's good natured @ having been caught though!

And then I really scored!

Even better!

My favorite...it made all my efforts worthwhile! Gonna share a little secret though...the only way I was able to capture her was to wait until she was wayyyy off & then zoom in w/out her knowledge. ;o)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend...we've been cool'ish, for the season, this past week & it sure has been nice. Happy Pink Saturday!