Something Old Something New

 

 

Hello from Stress City, USA.  Trying to stay calm but it just occurred to me that our daughter’s wedding is just over eight weeks away.  You may or may not know this is Destination Wedding and we will be traveling to Mexico.  Two weeks after our return we are having a

Fall Wedding Reception.

 

Enter Vintage Finds, please…..

 

These white urns were all Thrift Store finds

As well as this Silver Champagne bucket

and the sweet little vintage bride and groom

 

Lots of silver trays have been located

Some were from my own collection

and lots are thrifty finds

Pictured below is a GORGEOUS large punch bowl with tray and ladle.  Yes, we are old fashioned and plan to serve punch.

My daughter found this at a neighborhood garage sale a couple of years ago, but passed it by. It was $50.

Last summer the same lady had it on her sale again for $50.  Angie called me to tell me it was still there.  Of course I was interested loving silver the way I do!

She asked if I wanted to go in on it with her and by the way, could I please store it at my house! LOL!  We got it for $40 and it’s beyond beautiful!

I have recently been pulling out things we may use for the reception and have just started my piles on the guest bed.

The tray is something new.

 

Please don’t make me unwrap the punch bowl to show you closer. :) The nice lady at the garage sale had it all wrapped in Saran to keep it from tarnishing. 

In this picture above you can see it a little better.

 

I can’t share too many details just yet but I will say the reception

will have a Vintage Flair and my daughter and I are giddy with excitement!

 

Today I’m joining Rhoda over at

Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Treasures.

 

I am also participating at Debbiedoos Party.  I just met Debbie so this is my first time to join in.

 

 

I may not be able to post as often as I would like as we are really busy with last minute showers, parties, and wedding/reception details.

I hope you will continue to stop by 47th Street for visits as I share other things that are going on too!

We are thinking Fall around here

Are you?

Still Living Happily Ever After

Forty Years Ago Today

Was My Wedding Day

 

1970 was a much simpler time with the reception being held in the church basement with cake, punch,nuts and mints!

Our colors were yellow and orange

Funny, now those colors are back in!

 

Mr. Brown Socks and I were married on my parents’

Twenty Fifth Anniversary 

Here is their wedding picture

Dad always joked that he finished with one war only to start another..his marriage!  LOL!  He and my mother were very good together.  We all still remember the 40th anniversary party we had for them.

 

 

If you read my blog you will know that God has richly blessed us with a fabulous family. Last weekend our daughters with much help from our son in law and many other people threw us a

 

SURPRISE

Anniversary Party!

Boy were we EVER surprised. 

 

 

 

 

Our girls thought of everything.  They had my gown displayed on a mannequin and the maid of honor dress was behind.  The only thing that wasn’t on display was a bridesmaids dress.  They were yellow.  We also had floppy hats with daisy trim.  Can you see the daisy trim on the dress? Yep, seventies!

 

 

I was too busy having fun at my party and didn’t get many pictures of the actual decorations, but daughters Three had the most gorgeous flowers for decorations. This large bouquet stole the show but there were also little petite roses which were…Yep!  yellow with orange edges.

 

 

   It was truly a night to remember and we will always cherish what they did for us and for the life we have been given.

 

Happy Anniversary Mr. Brown Socks

And may we enjoy many more years together!

Turn to page 106

 

Do you ever hear people talking about Fish Tacos?  Ick!  It just does not sound very appealing to me.  What I mean is…I like fish and I LOVE tacos, but the combination just never sounded like something I wanted to try.

The other night while I was winding down about to fall asleep I thumbed through my latest issue of Southern Living magazine.  There were several recipes I dog eared and one of them was for Shrimp Tacos.  Not sure why but shrimp tacos sounded a whole lot better than fish tacos! LOL!

 

I made them this week and Mr. Brown Socks and I really, really loved this recipe!  I think you will too.

 

Southwest Shrimp Tacos

Serve with hot sauce, Mexican crema or regular sour cream, and chopped radishes.  *note ~~  I did not use chopped radishes and did use sour cream to spread on the shells.

10 to 12 (10”) wooden skewers  (I used metal skewers with a little metal rack)

2 lb. unpeeled, large raw shrimp  (21/25 count)

2 T. hot sauce

1 T. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder  (Did not have ancho chile powder so used regular chile powder with some crushed red pepper flakes.)

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. salt

(8”) soft taco-size corn or flour tortillas  (I used corn)

3 cups shredded cabbage (I used the bag of preshredded cabbage with carrots in with it…perfect!)

1 cup grated carrots

Lime wedges

1. Soak skewers in water 20 mins. 

2.  Meanwhile, peel shrimp; devein, if desired.  Coat cold cooking grate of grill with cooking spray, and place on grill.  Preheat grill to 350* to 400* (medium-high) heat.

3.  Toss shrimp with hot sauce and next 4 ingredients.  Thread shrimp onto skewers.  Grill shrimp, covered with grill lid, 1 to 2 mins. on each side or just until shrimp turn pink.  Grill tortillas 1 min. on each side or until warmed.

4.  Combine cabbage and carrots.  Remove shrimp from skewers just before serving.  Serve shrimp in warm tortillas with cabbage mixture and lime wedges.

 They were SO good! I can’t wait to make them again. Oh! you can maybe see in my picture on the left, I added some chopped avocado which added to the mixture too. I’m quite sure we went back for seconds!

I also fixed the Lemon Potato Salad on Page 117 of the same issue.  Why did I not think to add some chopped tomatoes since we have so many from our garden?  Oh well, we didn’t miss it.

I WON!

Teresa at Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend recently had a drawing and I was the lucky winner of all these books!

 

 

 

 

 

There was also a Southern Living magazine with simple recipes which I’ve already enjoyed pouring over.  Another surprise addition to the generous gift was Claire Burke Applejack potpourri!  ummm…I’ve always loved that smell.  I’m going to store it away for a few more weeks and bring it out in September when I am eager for Fall.

Thank you SO much, Teresa!!  :)  Go over and visit Teresa and her very nice blog.

Join me today with Michael at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday!  You never know what sort of delicious recipes you might run across!

 

You would think you were in Mexico!

All we needed was a sandy beach!

Some of you may know my daughter Jamie and her fiancé are getting married in Mexico this fall.  Her Aunts hosted a beautiful  and very detailed shower this past weekend.

So much prep work was involved with lots of helpers including sisters and cousins.  Sangria in progress here!

 

 

Little by little all the decorations are pulled out onto the patio ready to be perfectly placed

 

The humidity was drippy high but the Aunts worked right through it in the mid day heat.

 

Don’t you just want to sit a spell maybe with a glass of sangria?

 

 

Four little bistro tables were nestled close together with each holding a brightly colored placemat and lantern in the center.  A variety of festive napkins and rings were carefully placed and a parrot was perching on each lantern.

 

Pictures of Jamie and Dan were placed here and there.  This one is from the night Dan proposed at a Mystery Dinner Party.

 

A meal was served of tacos, refried beans, several appetizers, fresh salsa from a Mexican grocer, a wonderful corn and black bean side dish among other things. 

 

 Guests of all ages began arriving.  They were greeted with offers of Sangria, Limeade Lisa, Iced Tea or Water

 

 

 

Everyone was thrilled to see my mother make her first road trip after her fall.

 

The Aunts thought of everything!

A wonderful Tres Leche cake was served with a Best Wishes message in Spanish.

The cake was half strawberry and half coconut.  YUMMY! It was from a local Mexican bakery.

 

Jamie enjoying a fun moment with her mother in law to be

 

Of course it was a special time for Mother and Daughter as well.

Please join me today as we thank Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for another Tablescape Thursday!

I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit and seeing a memorable time for our friends and family!

Donna

What can you do with a left over tile?

Very possibly you might have a few 4-6” tiles stacked in your garage or basement somewhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By placing a piece of duct tape down first and then gluing a piece of foam on top, you have the base for a floral arrangement.

 

The duct tape adds some roughness to the smooth tile so the foam won’t pop off the tile.  (Another reason you need your own roll of duct tape from your husband’s must have items)

 

It’s a good idea to place floral tape around the outside edges of the tile or spray paint the edges black so the white doesn’t show when the arrangement is in place.

 

 

Viola!

With lots of grasses, pods, pieces of greenery….

 

 

Feathers, odds and ends and a little time, you can turn a tile into a shelf arrangement.

 

These little tight pieces also work well on a bookshelf.  You can make them any height or width that is needed to fit a space.

 

They work well nestled up next to a vase, and perhaps sitting on top of a book.  Sorry I don’t have pictures of that but I’m sure you can envision it.  Often times designers will choose these tile arrangements to have in a pinch for decorating their client’s homes.  They are small but add so much to an overall bookcase, mantle or hanging shelf/wall sconce.

 

 

It’s a great way to use up odds and ends if you have a silk floral stash.  Be creative and try all sorts of elements together!  Your friends will be amazed at your one of a kind tile arrangement!

Thanks for your visit today.  I’m joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday.  You never know what you might learn from this fun weekly event!  Take a few minutes to check it out.