Cuties in the Kitchen

I'm a practical girl. I love all the pretty and cute things that call my name on the store shelves. But  when it comes to actually purchasing the cute items, I end up talking myself out of it on the basis of the fact that I don't NEED it!

This little cutie is one of those things.

 I first saw these adorable Matryoshka doll measuring cups at Target several months ago. I took them out of the box and admired them. I oooo-ed and awwww-ed over them. Then I told myself I had plenty of measuring cups and the fact that these were so cute was not a good enough reason to buy them.

A few weeks later, I was once again drawn to the little dolls when I noticed them on a clearance shelf. I noted the reduced price and decided to take them home. I have not regretted it!

The three dolls nestled inside each other are six dry measuring cups (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, and 1 cup). When not in use, the little cuties nestle inside each other and the largest one smiles sweetly at me from her perch on my counter.

Are you a practical buyer?
What cuties have brought home lately?

Burlap and Lace Bridal Shower

In a future life (I don't really believe in reincarnation :) ), I would love to be a party planner. It is so fun to choose a theme and plan a shower, reception, or party around it! Not only is it fun to formulate a theme and see it come to fruition, it gives me great satisfaction to do so on a budget. I am a firm believer that less can be much more. Having a party that is decorated nicely doesn't necessarily mean spending a lot of money. With a little research, creativity, and craftiness, a pretty party is possible.

I was privileged to help plan a bridal shower last weekend. The son of family friends recently asked his sweet girl to marry him, and I am grateful I got to be a part of the shower of love our church hosted for them.

The hostesses decided on a decor theme of burlap and lace, and I immediately got on the wonderful world of internet to searched for ideas. Don't you love the resources we have available to us on the internet? The ability to share ideas and tutorials so easily is amazing.

After finding and pinning my favorite ideas to a Pinterest board, I created an inspiration collage of ideas.

A lady in our church agreed to make the cake. We chose the one in the collage above with frosting roses. She did an awesome job making a southern pound cake with strawberry jam between the layers. This was her first time to make the frosting roses, and we were extremely pleased with her results. The base was created by her husband out of a tree and beautifully complemented the theme.

(And in case you are wondering, we wouldn't dare step on the Goddess's territory when it comes to beautiful cakes! We live too far away from her and probably couldn't afford the 650 mile delivery.)

Adding burlap to the decor was a lot of fun. We placed squares of it on top of white table cloths at the food table and the guest tables. I also painted symbols and letters on burlap to create centerpieces and a pennant banner.

I found the idea for the pennant banner at Style Me Pretty and a tutorial for making it at My Love of Style.

Dear Lillie showed me how to use burlap on a vase to make an adorably personalized centerpiece. We added baby's breath and votive candles as well.

I really wanted to use some mercury glass at this shower too. But, when I asked the other hostesses, no one owned any. That meant I had to get my crafty on!  I followed Interiors by Kenz's tutorial to create faux mercury glass . I rounded up some unused vases from under my sink and purchased a few votives from a thrift store and painted them according to directions in the tutorial.

All of these elements helped create a sweet, romantic burlap and lace bridal shower. The food was delicious, the decorations cute and the bride-to-be was radiant.

Is a burlap and lace themed party in your future? Follow the links in this post to some great ideas, and do a search of the internet for more. So much crafting and planning to do, so little time to do it! Have fun partying!

Beautiful Camellia

As you may know, I am not a native to this beautiful area of the country in which I live. I'm an Oklahoma born girl who has had the privilege to live in and visit much of  the United States. I am blessed to have resided in Southeast Alabama for the past nine and a half years.

There are so many things about this region of the country that I love and enjoy.  One of the first things I noticed and loved were the beautiful flowers especially in the spring of the year. The Bradford Pear trees and colorful Azaleas light up the spring. Entire festivals are dedicated to the beauty of the Azalea.

The summer has its beauties too. Bright yellow Lantana, glorious and hardy Knock-out Roses, as well as the prodigious blooms of the Hydrangea flaunt their beauty all summer long.

But one of my favorite of them all is the Camellia. The Camellia is the state flower of Alabama and can be found in many colors: bright reds, pretty pinks and pure whites. The best thing about the Camellia is that it blooms in the winter! While the winter season way down here in the deep Southeast is extremely mild compared to most of the rest of the country, it is still a time when leaves fall off trees and flowers fade. To look across a bland landscape and spot the color of the camellia brings a smile!

This past fall, I finally purchased a Camellia bush for my yard. I found it at a reduced price at a local botanical garden. When I bought it, I did not know what color the blooms would be. When buds appeared, they looked like they would produce white flowers. I waited rather impatiently for the buds to produce flowers and finally in mid-January, I spotted the first bloom. I was ecstatic to see that the flowers were a sweet, delicate two-tone pink!

What a beauty! I look forward to enjoying this one for a long time, and I can't wait to add more and different colored blooms to my winter flower garden.

Rosalinde by Theodore Haviland New York

 Are you ready to set the table again?

It has been fun to have out the china this week. As I handle each piece, I am reminded of the people and stories behind them. I also love to touch and feel the delicate beauty of these fine things.

My second set of fine china is quite special to me. It was my Paternal Grandmother's wedding china.
My Grandma Justice was a beautiful, delicate, feminine lady. She was a pastor's wife who loved to serve others in her home.

This china was the set she chose upon her marriage to my Grandpa in 1932. It was a much loved and treasured set that did not come to her all at once when she married. Special occasions over the next 18 or so years were reasons to purchase new items. My dad says he remembers that the set was completed by 1950.

As I set the table with these pretties, I think of the hundreds of visiting preachers, church goers and family members who used these plates to eat Sunday lunch over the years. What stories these plates could tell!

It is with gratitude that I gaze at and use these pieces of China. I am blessed with the heritage they represent and the lessons of hospitality, servant hood and fellowship they convey.

*Theodore Haviland began in New York with David Haviland. When he discovered great porcelain resources in Limoges, France, he moved there and opened his own manufacturing company. His son, Theodore, continued the family business. In the 1930's, David's grandson, William began successfully manufacturing dinnerware in New York. For a more detailed account of this interesting story, visit Haviland Online.

*Special thanks to Connie for creating the beautiful flower arrangement from her garden!

This mini-series has resulted in far too many photos to post on one or two blog posts. Sadly, I couldn't find room for some of my favorites. So tomorrow, I will be posting more photos over on Sweet Tea Please. If you share my love of pretty things, stop by for a visit.

Classic White Nordic by J&G Meakin

I LOVE cobalt blue! The dark blue against stark white is a beautiful contrast that I have always enjoyed. My fine china reflects this love and has inspired the color palettes of my kitchen and dining room.

When I was a very young child, a couple in the church my Dad was pastoring owned a small antique shop attached to their home. They gave this set of dishes, complete with serving dishes and coffee pot, as a gift to my Mom.  

Years later and several moves across the country later, these dishes were still in the box. My Mom had never used them and was probably tired of dealing with them in each of the moves they had made. One day, somewhere in Illinois, she pulled the box out to the yard as part of a yard sale.

However, no one showed any interest in buying them. One customer did look in the box and told my Mom that the dishes were still in stock. The customer advised my Mom to keep them.

Fast forward many more years. I was engaged and doing the things a soon-to-be-married girl does. During a discussion with my Mom about the items I wanted to register, she told me about a set of dishes packed away. We found the box and removed some of the items to examine their condition.

I thought they were beautiful! I remember being a little amazed that my mom had owned these all my life and I had never seen them.

These pretty blue and white babies have served me well! Items from the set grace my kitchen and dining room, and I never get tired of gazing at them.

*J&G Meakin was a British pottery manufacturer founded in 1851. The J & G represents the brothers James Meakin Jr and George Meakin. The business remained under family control until 1958 when it was acquired by Grundy and Jones. In 1970, it became a part of the Wedgwood group.

*Special thanks to Amanda for her help in staging and photographing the china. Also thanks to our friends who allow us to use their beautiful pecan orchard whenever we get the wild idea to photograph in it!

Decorating a Cake Table With Lights and Tulle - A Tutorial

When a friend's daughter recently got married, she found this picture of a beautiful cake table on Pinterest.

She asked me to help her recreate it for her reception. I, of course, agreed. As time for the wedding neared, I searched the internet for information on how to best do this. I was wondering what the easiest and most effective way to hang the lights under the table would be. Should the lights go under the table cloth or between the cloth and the tulle? Do they need to be pinned to the tablecloth or taped to the table? If tape, which would best hold the lights in place?

But, alas! I could not find any tips or advice. There are plenty of pictures of this idea, but no specific directions about the best way to create it. So my friend Lindsey and I gathered our supplies and began the trial and error method.

We decided that the lights would probably shine through the tablecloth alright and elected to tape the lights to the bottom of the table. We then discussed which type of tape would hold best. After deliberating, we decided to use Duct tape. We were wrong! It wasn't long before the strands began to fall. That trial was an error!

We then decided to try a common transparent adhesive tape, and it worked. We taped the end of a strand of white Christmas lights to the underside of the table near the edge. We looped the strand down to the floor then back up again to the table, taping it in place. We repeated this until lights were taped all the way around the table.

Next we covered the table with a white table cloth that reached to the floor. The light effect this produced was beautiful!

To further decorate, we added tulle in the Bride's colors and matching satin bows. The tulle was gathered into a swag and wrapped with floral wire.

We then used straight pins to attach the tulle to the table cloth. Straight pins were also used to attach the satin bows.

We used this method on both the Bride's cake table and the gift table. The results were wonderfully pretty and romantic. It was a perfect compliment to the beautiful winter wonderland reception the bride had planned.

I did not take my camera to the reception, but a friend allowed me to post a couple of her pictures here. These photos show the tables bearing cake and gifts.

As a bonus, in case you are wondering what the reception hall looked like. Here is a photo before everyone arrived.

It was fun to be a part of this wedding! I hope our trial and error takes the guess work out of your next lighting-under-a-table project.

The Way to Anyone's Heart

One of the best parts of Christmas is gift-giving. And, one of my favorite things to give is food! I'm not a caterer of fine food a or maker of fabulous cakes like the Goddess, but I do enjoy making yummy and pretty food. When Christmas rolls around each year, I get excited about making treats for the special people in our life. 

The popular phrase is, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." But I contend that food lovingly prepared and given as a gift is special to anyone (not just men). Here are a few of the items I made and gave this year.

Buckeye Bark: 

I can't think of any better combination than chocolate and peanut butter! I have always loved Buckeyes, and now I have discovered that I can have that same great taste with half the time and effort. For the recipe follow this link.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread:

For several years, I have been making the Pioneer Woman's amaaaazing cinnamon rolls. Her recipe is extremely decadent. The rolls are yummy and unhealthy and yummy and full of butter and yummy! When the Pioneer Woman recently posted a recipe that converted her cinnamon roll dough into Pull-Apart Bread, I couldn't wait to make it. I was not disappointed! In fact, I'm pretty sure I will make them this way from now on.

"Christmas Crack":

I'm not sure where this candy got its name, but I suppose it is because it is hard to say no to the second and third (or fourth or fifth) piece of it. This is homemade toffee and chocolate. Go on over to this blog post and check it out. I found this recipe on Pinterest, but I plan to peruse the whole fabulous looking blog soon!

Peppermint Popcorn:

This treat is often called Peppermint Popcorn Bark. But when I make it, I use less of the almond bark. This ensures that the snack is like a flavored popcorn, rather than a candy bar. It is a special treat and looks mighty cute packaged in storage bags and cardstock (a trick I learned here). For the recipe for Peppermint Popcorn, visit the Plain Chicken.

Need more ideas? Come see me on my recipe blog, Family Favorites. I recently posted some other food gift ideas.

Need still more ideas? You can look at the links I have posted on my Holiday Cooking board.

Happy cooking, y'all! Happy gifting! and Merry Christmas!

Photo Friday #35

Fearless Women

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 

2Timothy 1:6-8

 I recently received something exciting in the mail!

 I am thrilled about this book for many reasons!

First, I am thrilled because of the truth it teaches.

It is about love and how love makes us fearless women! I John 4:18 teaches that

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

Fearless is a collection of stories about women who like all of us have faced fear. By sharing their stories with us, they express the great truth that God’s love casts out fear. When women repent of sin and trust in Christ, the love they experience transforms their lives. Christ’s love teaches us that He can be trusted. His love enables us to depend on Him for strength to do daily tasks and for peace during heart-rending grief.

Eighteen women share their story in Fearless. I love the Table of Contents, because it shows the names of real-life women who have experienced the fear-casting perfect love of Christ!

Second, I am thrilled about the reason the editors published this book. 

Fearless encourages women who read it to also tell their story. The Last chapter entitled Your Story  states,

“We all have a story. And we invite you to join us in the sharing. There can be healing and overflowing joy in the telling. For as we tell our story of broken fear, we remember the story of Perfect Love – Love that writes His story in our lives and gives us courage to speak out.”

The third reason I am thrilled about this book is the editors!

 Fearless  is edited by my sister and her dear friend!

And, reason number four that I am thrilled:

The photos in Fearless are ones that I took when I visited my sister’s farm last summer! My sister lives on a beautiful piece of land in upper New York. I had a wonderful time visiting her and was pleased to capture memories with my camera. I am blessed and honored that the editors chose to use those captured memories in Fearless.

You can own your own copy of Fearless by ordering it here.

You can share your story by emailing the editors at themains@gmail.com