Christmas Party

(my daughter’s Blue Danube)

After a wonderful week at my daughter’s for Thanksgiving,

I am home and currently working

on a

Christmas party that my husband and I ,

along with our dear, dear friends

are having this Friday.

Here’s the catch…

We had this same party in

1985!

We are each bringing

sausage balls

a dessert tray

a savory surprise

and

we are also serving small sandwiches on baby croissants.


There will be a DJ, a variety of beverages,

and lots of dancing.



Tomorrow is decorating day, and I will take lots of photos.

I also bought a pair of black sequined pumps,

to which my husband said…

“you may break your neck.”


I sure hope so!

 

To You and Yours

Dear Friends,

May you have a glorious Thanksgiving celebration this Thursday.

I read this early this morning,  and this is what I am celebrating.


”A thankful attitude opens windows of heaven.”

                                                          Jesus Calling, November 22


Whoosh!

Can’t you feel the air coming in through that open window?


Enjoy every single moment.


You are loved and appreciated.

 

                               Laura

                               White Spray Paint

Congealed Salads Have a PR Problem

Source

 

The only thing separating conjealed salads

from renewed culinary stardom,

in my opinion,

is its name:


CONJEALED.


This is NOT good ladies.


Of the things that conjeal in the world ,

I can’t think of one I want on my plate.


However,

we know conjealed salads are different.


If you , like me, first saw one jiggle in the sunlight

at some special family event,

loaded with mystery fruit,

with your little girl eyes level with the picnic table,

then you know they are family works of art.


They are desserts labeled as salads,

they are every color of the rainbow,

and aside from their hidden treasures,

they are self-firming.


They just need a new name!


That is my mission this week on White Spray Paint

in what is evolving into family food week.

What do you think?

Throw a name in the hat!

Jiggly Salads?

Cranberry Help, Please!

 

source

Oh dear…

dare I confess this?


My family likes jellied cranberry sauce.


There I said it.


I do make an effort to get the wrinkles out of its cheeks prior to serving.

source

I know some of you might be having

flashbacks ,

after seeing these photos,

of your elementary cafeteria days the week of Thanksgiving,

but I have unsuccessfully tried to find a recipe that has

fresh ingredients that:


a.  isn’t so tart your eyes cross

b.  doesn’t have such a strange texture it feels funny in your mouth.

My grandmother Mamaw made fresh cranberry

relish that met the above criteria.


She was an amazing cook,

but my mouth is puckering and my eyes are crossing right now thinking about it.


So, I need your help.


I studied cookbooks last night,

and I just don’t trust the recipes I read.



If you have a recipe that is wonderful and

you are willing to share it,

I would be so grateful.

Dear Daughters: Expected Expectations

My Father,  Thanksgiving,  2010


For as long as I can remember, I thought I was

just like my mother.


Lately, in steely, one on one,

no nonsense, look somebody in the eye conversations with

people who don’t think the way I do,

I realized I was also

exactly like my father,

with

ONE

major

exception.



He says something in 3 words;

I use 53.


There is a code of expected behavior all tied up

in what he seems to be saying,

in so few words.


It is the communication of

expected

expectations.


Not the high and low that the world today exhorts.

It is EXPECTED.


It in turn causes you to expect it too.



Some of his classics:


*keep a tight rein

*did you learn anything?

*you don’t have any business…

*sister, that’s a two handed turn


***

Hobby Lobby Alert

Have fun!

I resisted.

Conversation with self in Hobby Lobby:

Me:  You’ve got to be kidding. Look at those black and cream toile pumpkins.

Me Back:  No.  Stop the insanity.

(Remember that diet book??)

Cart Before the Horse Decorating

I know there are valid steps in the process

of  creating a beautiful

to the eye of the beholder home.


I just don’t operate that way.

I have just christened what I do as

Cart Before the Horse Decorating.
Here is how it works.



* I didn’t want to invest another dime in our 30 year old

sofa because it has sinkholes to China,

but when the Crate and Barrel Outlet had olive green velveteen pillows for $5.99,

I became a fan (of the pillows).

We can now sink in elegant comfort.



*When  I had one of those middle-aged spark plug kind of thoughts driving down the road of

“I want a subdued leopard rug in front of the living room couch!”,

I decided to ignore the worn too small rug that is there temporarily.

I am now on a quest for a leopard rug that doesn’t look like a Halloween costume.


*When a lady at a junk store in a neighboring town could not find the glass top that went with the heavy brass

coffee table base I  had to have,

and she said,

“Senora, you want this one?”

Of course I said yes- even though it doesn’t fit.




It is sort of like creating my own reality.




Which is so much fun!

***




And so in the interest of full disclosure,

I see some things in the photo that need

changing.


*the couch still needs to be replaced

*the lamps need to be replaced with something metal

*the coffee table needs an anchor like books or something with more color


*the rug has to go




As soon as I buy my Thanksgiving groceries,

have my grandsons for a visit,

decorate the house for Christmas,

Christmas shop,

and change my mind 10 times,

I’ll post after photos!

Blog Post Spacing Issues

Hello Everyone-

I have been having spacing issues with my published blog posts recently.

Any posts that I have deleted or re-posted has been because, once published ,I realized the lines and margins in my post were all over the place.

If I am fortunate enough to be on your blog roll, I am sorry if I keep jumping around.

I use LiveWriter- any ideas on why this is happening and how I can fix it?

Apothecary Jars, Punch Cups, and Canisters

If I had lived in a

different era,

I would have served

a lot of

punch.



How do I know this?

I have had a long-time love

for punch bowls and cups.



The last time I teetered on my step stool to check

above the refrigerator,

I have 3 milk glass punch bowls,

2 cut glass punch bowls,

and a dark green glass punch bowl-

all with matching punch cups.

During my recent

house fixing,

I introduced my apothecary jars

to my punch cups,

and I found an interim solution

for my need to use them.

True confession…

I have a million punch cups,

and

today while selling at our booth at a local market days,

I located a sack of silver plate punch cups I bought at the flea market this summer.

Woo hoo!

Layers

Although this photo of our den

(with the clutter cleared away),

may not send this message,

I do love layers.


(desk by the back den window)

I love,

in no particular order,

layered cake

layered salad

layered clothes

layered jewelry (be still my layered jewelry beating heart)

layered accessories

and

(drum roll please)

layered on

Christmas decorations.

I am clearing away space…

are you???

PS… and yes, I did have a video posted on my blog yesterday,

but when I went back and looked,

it made me nervous.

Maybe because it was the length of

Gone With the Wind,

plus,

I showed photos of our bathrooms.

Who wants to see THAT?

And finally,

my middle daughter who tells it like it is said…

“  what’s with the creepy music?”

Film career ended.

Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner

I am participating in

a wonderful Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner at

Diane’s blog

Home Sweet Homemade.

It starts Wednesday.

Stop by for great recipe ideas!