~ Red, White & Blue Salad ~

Serve up some patriotic food with this beautiful and delicious salad!

::: This salad is perfect for the Fourth of July holiday, or anytime. A perfect summer salad too.

~ Red, White & Blue Salad ~

Salad greens, fresh Strawberries & Blueberries, Feta Cheese, and Walnuts. Serve with a salad dressing of your choice. We like a Vinaigrette or lite-Italian.

~ Wishing everyone a fun, safe and spectacular Fourth of July celebration!

God Bless AMERICA!

 

St. Patrick’s Day Tiered Tray

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Count your blessings!!!

I don't really decorate the whole house for St. Patrick's Day, but I did a simple "St. Patrick's Day" themed Tiered Tray in honor of the holiday!

Here's an Irish Blessing:

“May your troubles be less your blessings be more, and may nothing but happiness come through your door.

May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures.

May all life’s passing seasons bring the best to you and yours.”

~ Wishing you great health and happiness with an abundance of luck and love!

Valentine’s Day Themed Tiered tray

"Love is patient"

I grabbed a few of my favorite things on hand and styled my golden tiered tray with thoughts of Valentine’s Day...Cupid, roses, hearts and love!

~ Happy Valentine’s weekend!

Merry Christmas Eve

Dreaming of a white Christmas here on this rainy Christmas Eve!

View of entry/foyer today and also last night's view below!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

 

Beautiful Treasured Gifts

"Oh Christmas Tree!"

This beautiful golden Christmas tree is a sweet early Christmas gift from my daughter Sara. I love it and all its golden glory with beautiful teardrop rhinestones and gold glitter!

A beautiful addition to my collection of mini Christmas trees.

Enjoying these last days before Christmas!

I was also recently gifted this beautiful angel from my daughter Crystal, on my birthday.  I love it and its simplicity, the heart and the touches of gold too!

I’ve collected several angels over the years and this is a sweet and beautiful addition to my collection, and my holiday decor.

I am blessed with such wonderful daughters and appreciate their thoughtfulness, who know me so well and what I love!

~ Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Holiday Tablescape

A simple touch of Christmas here in our dining room.

Green and gold are my favorites!

 A close-up of my little tiered tray from above.

I always enjoy setting a pretty table!  And, I also enjoy styling tiered trays!

~ Merry Christmas!

Holiday Decor ~ Our Family Room

Ready for the Holidays!  I fell in love with Buffalo plaid this year.  So I got creative with some ribbon and fun pillow covers.

Feeling "Merry & Bright" on this bright and beautiful day!

 

There's no place like "HOME" for the holidays!

HOME sweet cozy home!

From our home to yours Merry Christmas!

Patriotic Red White & Blue Salad

Serve up some patriotic food with this beautiful and delicious salad!

This salad is perfect for the Fourth of July holiday, or anytime!  A perfect summer salad too!

~ Red, White & Blue Salad ~

Salad greens, fresh Strawberries and Blueberries, Feta Cheese, and Walnuts

Serve with a salad dressing of your choice. We like a lite-Italian or Vinaigrette.

Wishing everyone a fun, safe and spectacular Fourth of July celebration!

~ God Bless AMERICA!...

Air Fryer Corn Tortilla Chips

Snacking happy!  I’m always looking for new ways to eat healthy, lighter or cut calories.  Snacks are important to help one stay satisfied between meals, but they can throw the balance way off if not careful!

We’ve been enjoying these guilt free Air fryer corn tortilla chips and salsa!  Two whole corn tortillas are only 100 calories, and Salsa is almost no-calorie at only about 10 calories per 2 TBSP!

These air fryer chips are so simple to prepare and so delicious!

To prepare:  I cut the whole soft corn tortillas into chips, put them in a single layer, spray lightly with olive oil spray, place them into the Air fryer and cook at 400° for approximately 8-10 minutes, then serve with some tasty salsa.

~*~

Happy “Cinco de Mayo!”

Today we are enjoying this!  We always love my homemade Guacamole with Salsa and fresh Air Fryer Corn Tortilla Chips!

~ Happy Hour goodness today!

Winter Tablescape

How’s your new year going?

As the new year began I added some sparkle with touches of gold glitter to our dining room table. Helps me chase away the winter blahs!  Just changed it up a little since I hadn't done much in here over the holidays.  We spent much of Christmas away from our home visiting family.    

Now I’m thinking about next month, hearts and Valentine’s Day!

My Christmas Gift Baskets

I made these cute gifts for a few friends, a fun gift basket for making cookies with their kids/grandkids!

~*~

I filled each basket with a cookie mix, sprinkles variety, oven mitt and pot holder, tea towel set, holiday cookie plate, cookie cutter and a few small candy canes, embellished the basket with a Christmas ornament and all tied up with a clear bag with a bow & a bell!

Gift Basket # 1

Gift Basket # 2

Gift Basket # 3

::: Tip of the day :::

If you need a last minute gift idea...This makes a sweet gift! I picked up the basket and contents at Target, the bag, cookie plate and embellishments from the Dollar Tree!

~ I enjoyed making and gifting these, and they enjoyed receiving them!

Christmas/Holiday Centerpiece

Merry Christmas & Ho~Ho~Holiday Greetings!

I did a little Christmas-ing to my thrifty candelabra centerpiece by changing out the previous candle holders & candles for plain glass candle holders & gold candles, added some holiday/winter accents/picks & red sparkly tulle ribbon!

This candelabra has been a fun decor item to decorate, and re-decorate throughout the seasons!

Such a great thrifty find this year!

Sources:

-Glass candle holders, Gold candles & Red sparkly tulle ribbon - Dollar tree

-Candelabra centerpiece - Thrift store

-Greenery, holiday/winter accents/picks Hobby Lobby & Michael's

Visit these links to see my original Centerpiece Makeover & Fall Centerpiece 

~ Happy Christmas-ing!

Happy Fourth of July Food & Fun!

Happy Fourth of July!

I've set a fun and festive table for today!  Just keeping it simple for hubby and I.  We’re starting off with my Red, White & Blue Salad!  Hubby has had Beef Ribs and Baked Beans slow smoking on our Big Green Egg all day!  The smell has been fantastic!

This salad is perfect for today’s holiday, or anytime!  A perfect summer salad!

~ Red, White & Blue Salad ~ 

Salad greens, fresh Strawberries and Blueberries, Feta Cheese, and Walnuts!  Serve with a salad dressing of your choice!  We like a lite Italian or Vinaigrette!

~*~   ~*~   ~*~

We’re going to enjoy this delicious holiday meal and then watch our neighbors put on his awesome annual fireworks display!

~ God Bless AMERICA!

Happy “National Flag Day!”~Patriotic Decor

“You're a grand old flag

You're a high-flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave

You're the emblem of

The land I love

The home of the free and the brave!”

I did a simple little vignette for "Nation Flag Day" and added some patriotic decor.  Hooray for the Red, White & Blue!

Happy Friday, also!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and a very Happy Father’s Day, too!

Celebrate!...

Red White & Blue Table Decor

Wow, May is slipping by so fast!  It's hard to believe June arrives next weekend!  But first we all get to enjoy a long holiday weekend for Memorial Day!

Hurray for the Red, White & Blue!

...And, Target for these cute napkins I scored for a dollar each! {shhh...bandanas}*wink*

Wishing everyone a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

*** As we celebrate and enjoy family gatherings and cookouts over this long holiday weekend, remember all the service members who we owe so much gratitude and respect!

I’m very grateful for those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom!

~ God Bless America

March is here!~ St. Patrick's Day Decor

Feeling LUCKY

...because March brings us St. Patrick’s Day, and it also brings us SPRING!

I had fun creating a little vignette using some items I found for just a couple of dollars, these green clovers/shamrocks and some ribbon.

I already had the other items!  Strings of beads placed into the candle holders added pops of color.

I like to use things in threes whenever possible, I’ve heard “three for luck” so I’ll not argue with that!?!

Here's an evening view with the candles lit!

Happy March!...

A Romantic Table for Valentine's Day

I'm serving up some love and hearts!

I love these sweet little cookies “Mini Palmiers!”  Not only are they sweet and delicious, they look like hearts!  They are perfect for Valentines Day!

For a romantic table I’m using some roses, sweet treats and these heart plates I found years ago, they’re also perfect for Valentine’s Day!  I used a faux rose with a long stem and simply wrapped the stem around a pretty gold cloth napkin.  

Since I had used most of this table decor recently for the New Year table and was still enjoying the charger plates and place mats on their own, I only needed to change up or add a few things.  I also still had part of the previous centerpiece, however I removed the winter greenery and added more roses.

I often prefer to be able to change up the look without changing everything.  Not always, but sometimes.  Especially if using some favorite items or something that was recently purchased and I want to enjoy it a little longer without going to something completely different.  And in the long run that leads to inexpensive and easy decorating, which I'm always all for!  And, that simply makes for a much easier way of decorating sometimes.  It doesn't have to cost a lot to make it beautiful!

We'll be doing our Valentine's Day celebrating/dinner on the Saturday after.  Hmmm, I'll be needing to buy more of these sweet cookies by then! *wink* 

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day! 

Happy New Year! Hello 2019~ Holiday/New Year Table ~

A new day, a new month and a New Year!!!

~ Wishing all the best for everyone and a wonderful year ahead in 2019, I hope it brings many blessings for all of us!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

One of my favorite things to decorate for the holidays is our dining table. Of course the Christmas tree is always the star of the show, and our fireplace mantel is another favorite too. But the dining table is something I truly enjoy decorating and have fun with different creative ideas.  We celebrate our family Christmas a little late so we can all be together, so it's often a Christmas/New Year celebration.

I wanted to share our Holiday/New Year's celebration table.  I enjoy setting a pretty table, I know I've said that numerous times here, it's true and I feel it always adds to the dining experience.  I like to share the table decor ideas I use, and it's nice to document them so I can come back later for inspiration and ideas, and I always hope it helps you with your table setting as well.

I kept the centerpiece decor similar to my Thanksgiving table, but made some simple changes.  Of course I removed the pumpkins and also changed the floral arrangement, and tucked in some winter greens with the lamb's ear greenery.  I added some simple plain holiday wreaths to the back of the chairs.

For each place setting I used these round neutral place mats and pretty cream chargers.  I placed a golden pine cone ornament embellished with a small gold painted pine cone with pine and holly greenery to the center.  A beautiful gold cloth napkin simply rolled up and secured with a pretty gold and pearl beaded napkin ring.  Later I'll add clear plates, the tableware and glasses, but I often like this uncluttered look for photographing the main decor.

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas holiday with your family and friends.  Wishing you a healthy and prosperous new year ahead.

 “Happy New Year” Hugs & Kisses!

  

Our Thanksgiving Table

I'm looking forward to having my loved ones gathered around this table as we give thanks and share our Thanksgiving meal together!

I enjoy bringing what I've envisioned to reality.  I am so pleased with the results of my Thanksgiving tablescape.

I look forward to setting a pretty table for special occasions, and this one is of course very special, one that is all about gathering and enjoying a meal together, and being thankful!

For our Thanksgiving table I used some items I already had and few new items.  In keeping with my desire to decorate on a budget, I try to practice some restraint in not over spending or buying a lot of new items if  I don't need too.

I had the pumpkins, candle holders and floral arrangement on hand, then I picked up some lamb's ear greenery, mesh ribbon, and the curly burlap & sparkle picks.  The sparkly apples were a recent find at the thrift store.

I had two different sets of round mats that were close in color, one set of eight and one set of six so I alternated them to have ample place settings for our family.  We had thirteen of us!

I had already planned on using my glass plates, and then I added paper doilies under each one to add another layer and to dress it up a little.  A simple cloth napkin and my pretty gold tableware finished off the look.  I later added the water glasses and wine glasses to each place setting.

So pleased that what I had envisioned was even more beautiful than I'd imagined!  Gotta love it when that happens.

It's a day of counting our blessings, and we have so much to be thankful for!  Enjoy your special day with family and friends.

I wish you a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving!...

Merry Christmas~ Our Christmas Tree and Foyer Area ~

~*~ All is calm, all is bright ~*~

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~*~ From our home to yours... We wish you a very Merry Christmas! ~*~

We're ready for Santa!  I enjoyed doing something a little different this year with decorating our Christmas tree and staircase.  Ribbons and bows!  I used lots of ribbon, and some bows.  I also used some white poinsettias on the tree and on the staircase garland.  I wanted a less is more look this year.  I believe I achieved that!

I hope your Christmas is Merry and Bright, and may all your wishes come true.  May your New Year be happy and prosperous!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!