Whiffs From Heaven

 

 

 

Recently I took a little road trip with three other friends to Kansas City.  We visited Nell Hills and several other little shops.  Just browsing around I always have a hard time resisting picking up soaps and candles.  If they are there, it seems I must pick several up to smell.

This one REALLY appealed to me!

It is so very fragrant with the most pleasant smell!

Strong but not overpowering.

 

 

Not needing a new soap in my tub or shower quite yet, I decided to place it on my bedside table to see if I could smell it in the night.

 

And I DO!

Quite often I have sleepless nights…

Nights where I truly might toss and turn for up to three hours!

I have decided the scent of this soap makes those tortured hours worthwhile.  I’m amazed at how often I roll over and get whiffs of lavender.

 

I also have a lavender candle nearby.  I burn this as I browse through decorating books or cookbooks just prior to turning the light off. 

The little Reed and Barton silver plate was an estate sale find from last week end as was the little footed glass dish.  Such simple pleasures of life! 

My motto is ~~ Let’s use the pretty things for everyday.  They really do bring me great pleasure.

 

 

 I was happy to see my purple irises blooming now.  My mother gave the bulbs to me when we moved into our new home.  She is always thinning her iris.

I don’t have any purple in my bedroom ~~ it’s actually decorated in red and gold.  That won’t stop me from placing irises by my pillow or from burning a lavender scented candle.  Notice the book?  “Art of Accessorizing”  ?? 

 

 

 

 

 

This was one Marty recommended to us a couple of weeks ago.  It IS a good one!  I’m joining Marty for Table Top Tuesday and Tootsie for Flaunt your Flowers this week.  I hope you’ll visit them as well.  There’s plenty of inspiration.

 

 

What’s on your bedside table?

What are life’s simple pleasures for you?

Donna

 

    

Unique Bridal Shower

 

It’s a race to the altar  ~~  Kentucky Derby Style!

 

 

Mr.Brown Socks and I were invited to a couple’s shower this past Saturday night.  Such fun it was!  The wedding is just two weeks away and two of the bridesmaids turned a shower into a very fun evening.

 

Big Hats Galore!

 

The mother of the bride sporting a floppy straw hat. 

Many of the men enjoyed playing bean bag toss on the lush green yard.  Perfect night, even though it was a tad chilly when the sun went down.

 

Sara and Stephanie, the two hosts!  They did a fantastic job with decor, food and setting everything up.  The mint juleps were Oh! So! Good!

 

They even had cute little names for the appetizers….

 

Here is the Bride to Be cutting into the Armadillo Bleeding Cake!  Wish I had gotten a picture of the full cake!  Yes, it was a bleeding armadillo ~~ red velvet.

 

The bride to be is Randi in the black hat and the next bride to be standing next to her is my daughter, Jamie.  They have been friends since Junior High.

 

Bride and Groom to be.

Congratulations to them.

We are so looking forward to the wedding!

 

Speaking of hats!  I was at a sale this weekend and came home with two vintage hats.  This one is a dressy straw hat that I would like to say I might wear to church.  Why is it most every woman says they love hats and wish they would come back in, but we are a tad bit nervous to wear them?  Costs?  $2.50!

 

Who doesn’t love this pretty green one?

I paid $3.75 for it!

The prices were half off due to the second day of the sale.

 

For now they are both hanging in my closet just asking to be worn!

 

Join me over at Rhoda’s Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Treasures!

 

 

 

Spring Food and Flowers

 

It’s a rainy, early morning where I am.  Perfect day to join in with Michael at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.  It’s been awhile since I’ve joined in, but each Friday I look forward to seeing all the new ideas and recipes others share.

 

 

Early in the week it was my turn to host our small Bible Study group.  Of course in addition to making the house ready for guests, one must come up with a dessert.  Where women gather, dessert follows, right?

For some reason, Lemon Meringue Pie came to mind.  I rarely make a pie ~~ much less a meringue pie.  I was talking with my friend Jennifer and she suggested I make her Grandmother’s version which is an old family favorite.

 

I talked to my mother the day after I made this, telling her what I served.  She said, “OH!  My mother used to make that!”  So I do think this is a very old recipe.  It has GREAT flavor!

 

Lemon Meringue Pie or

Lemon Icebox Pie

4 eggs, separated, room temperature

1 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

9” graham cracker crust, purchased or home made

1/2 t. cream of tartar

1/4 cup plus 2 T. sugar

Beat egg yolks at med. speed of mixer until thick and lemon colored.  Add condensed milk and lemon juice, stirring well.  Spoon filling into crust.  Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed of a mixer one minute.  Gradually add sugar, 1 T. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves (2-4 minutes).  Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edge.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 mins. or until golden brown.  Let cool to set up.

   

 

Let me say right off that I should have either used a smaller pie plate OR just purchased a graham cracker crust.  I decided to make my own and it didn’t come clear to the top of the plate.  I’ll explain why that matters later…

 

I refrigerated my bowl and beater to make sure it was nice and cold before beating the egg whites.

 

  

 

Spoon the meringue over the filling, making sure you go clear to the edge.

 

 

I love garnishing food, as it makes it look so much more appealing.

My problem was getting the yummy pie out of the plate when I went to serve this.  The meringue wanted to stick to the dish causing me to struggle getting it out of the pan.  I finally decided it was because it didn’t have the crust to cling to.  Lesson learned, and I’m passing that hint on to you! 

 

I had someone helping me serve and I forgot to get a picture of the pie on it’s plate. 

I did sprinkle some remaining graham cracker crumbs over each piece of pie and it did have great presentation even with the struggle to get it out of the pan.

 

 

Now that growing season has returned I am also joining Glenda at Tootsie Time for flower show and tell.

 

Redbud trees are so stunning this time of year.  The winds haven’t been quite as strong so far this spring, so we are enjoying our blooms a bit longer than some years.

A little basket filled with pansies is nestled below our tree.

 

Gorgeous RED tulips peaking through the metal trellis.

I planted my Black Eyed Susan vine in this pot which really takes over by July.  Get yourself some of those seeds.  It’s a beautiful flowering vine.

More photos of our early spring landscape, nice and moist from a spring rain.

 

 

I love this little blue spruce Topiary!

 

Oh Spring!

I’m glad you are here!

Thanks for your visit today.  I love having you stop by.

Donna

Letting Early Spring Linger

Good Morning everyone!  I’ve been wanting to join Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for quite some time.  Today is the day!

 

 

Many of us live where spring is bursting open with tulips, daffodils and lots of perennials showing God’s gorgeous color palette.  Being a silk floral designer I have much of this indoors as well.  :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I still have forsythia “blooming” in my entry with this little vignette.  It makes me smile each time I walk by it.

 

 

 

 

Moss Rocks add interest and more color of nature

 

 

 

A little bunny grooming himself, along with more moss rocks and a soft green beaded garland complete this simple look.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Marty for hosting our event again this week.  I always enjoy seeing what others have to share.

 

Thanks for joining me today!

The Good Stuff Just Keeps Showing Up

Susan asked me if I wanted to go to an estate sale with her last Saturday.  I haven’t been to one in years.  I was a little nervous knowing how excited I get with thrifting these days, but the prices pretty much held me back.

With prices being a tad more at the first day of an estate sale vs. Thrift Shops, I had to settle myself down right away.  The ad in the paper described this Chippendale desk which I would have LOVED, but at around $900, I passed.  It was probably worth that much however.  It was gorgeous.

 

 

Of course there were sets of china…

 

 

 

A Full set of brown transferware…with every serving piece made!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was able to pass since I already have brown transferware.

 

 

 

 

 

Loving silver, these cups really appealed to me.  I thought they were quite unusual.  With the dog base, they would have been so cute in my Hunt Club family room.  I considered coming back the last day of the sale to see if they were still there and marked down, but I didn’t return.  Seeing them again, I wish I had.  :(

 

Shown below were my only two purchases at this Estate Sale, a linen table cloth and some sweet little napkins that will look cute in an upcoming tablescape.

 

We moved on to a second estate sale.  This one was in an old home.  I found this little bunny, pulling a cart.  It seems quite old.  The little frog will look cute in a potted plant this summer.  I found two pampered chef pie pans with some little scoops, and this sweet little glass to go on my guest’s nightside table.  My oldest grandson is learning to read so I couldn’t pass up the reading cards for a quarter or so.  Perfect to keep him quiet in church.  ;)

 

My mother loves cobalt blue, so these bowls will go with her Mother’s Day present.   Custard cups for my daughters and more embroidered napkins.

 

We then moved on to a couple of thrift stores where I found this silver plated hand mirror.

 

 

 

 

 

The next store had this beautiful brown footed stemware  (Look at that price!)  and a milk glass vase.

 

 

Back at the Goodwill I found a set of six twig placemats for $3.00.  I think they have possibilities.

 

 

At another thrift store this set of OLD mixing bowls was $2.00!!  My daughter said she can always use another mixing bowl.

 

Not pictured, but made my grandsons super excited was a huge bag of Star War figures for $1.50!  Angie told me that brand new those figurines went for around $7.00 a piece!  She thought I got a great bargain.

 

Last of all was a set of eleven silver (of some sort…they are slightly tarnished) chargers for $2.00~  I think I got a fabulous price on these!  Hey, since there were only eleven, I must keep thrifting to see if I can find a twelve one!

 

 

Today I am joining Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Finds.  Go with me now to visit her blog and see what treasures others are finding!

 

 

Thanks for your visit!    

Donna