Entertaining with Lemons

I love to entertain so when I came across this adorable setting I just had to share with y'all. It's so cute!!! It's also very simple to put together. You could run by Costco or Sams Club and pick up a big bag of lemons for under $5. And if you didn't want to use a yellow bandanna for a napkin ($1/each from Hobby Lobby) you could use bright yellow disposable napkins from any party store. The clothes pins can be purchased in big bags from Walmart (also under $5). This would be an adorable theme that you could serve cold lemonade and lemonade cake for dessert. And you could fill small mason jars with yellow jelly beans. Perfect for a country summer BBQ.

Fondant

The magical things you can do with fondant. I was thinking of making some 4th of July cupcakes and began browsing for some ideas. I came across these adorable patriotic cuties. The one with the fondant hot dog makes me chuckle. What a fantastic idea! I'm horrible when it comes to working with fondant. It can be extremely messy and cracks if it's too dry. I'm thinking of taking a class to learn some fondant techniques. There's all sorts of wonderful things I could make for the holidays/birthdays/special occasions. Just imagine being able personalize cupcakes for family and friends. How fun! Hope this inspires you to bake something fabulous and delish for this upcoming holiday.

Accessories

I've been working on my home office this weekend. I've been trying to de-clutter, organize documents, and decorate so it's nice and cheery. I've chosen to decorate my home office in a Shabby Chic theme. I realize it's the little details that make me happy when I sit down to work at my desk. I like cute file folders, pens, pictures, cups, calendars, etc... I found these adorable file folders at Room Service Home. They also started carrying Lilly P desk accessories. Lilly P desk accessories!!! Someone is making a fortune, LOL! I like birds so the birds will do very nicely for my office. What are the special little details that you like to decorate your working area in?

Michael Jackson 1958 ~ 2009

What a sad day to lose two major icons as Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. I'm absolutely speechless. I was stunned when the breaking news blared out of the television while I was making dinner. I actually came into the living room because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Within hours of each other? Wow, this is a bizarre day.

I remember going to the mall with my older sister to buy the cassette tape, "Thriller." I remember my best friend and I wearing the one glove with our parachute pants. I remember spending countless hours trying to learn the "Thriller" moves for the school dance. Do you remember this picture? I remember this poster in my big sister's bedroom.

Michael Jackson had a lot of weird things printed about him. I'm not sure if they were true or false. However, he was a good entertainer. Maybe one of the best in our day.

Farrah Fawcett 1947~2009

I was shocked when I logged onto my computer today and read that Farrah Fawcett had passed away. I had seen in the tabloids at the supermarket that she was battling cancer but it's still a big shock. Charlie's Angels was one of my favorite shows when I was a girl and the 70's/80's don't seem that long ago. It makes you think about how fast time flies. I've been noticing that all the actors that I remembered as a kid are now dying off or looking really old these days. Funny, it doesn't feel like that much time has passed but it has.

Has this ever happened to you? I received a wedding invitation from a girl that I use to babysit when she was an infant. And when I thought that was enough to blow my mind; the following year I received a baby shower invitation. Now the baby is having babies? My world is spinning out of control. Am I really that old? My little baby cousin is getting married this fall. When I began adding up how old she was.....she's the same age as when I got married. What just happened here? Hello! Have I been in a daze? Where did this big block of time go? And how did I not notice? I think I get weighted down with all the responsibilities and obligations that the weeks are just passing by and soon become months and then years. I need to pay closer attention to the daily routines and make time for those small important things before time steals them away. It's amazing how losing a childhood icon can make you look at your life with maturity. I feel that a piece of my childhood has passed on with Farrah.

Pocket Pie Molds

Look at these adorable pie cutters. They come in a heart and star pattern. Now you can make individual pies for the family. These are perfect if you are baking for two. You can purchase them at Williams-Sonoma for $9.95 each or $17.00 for the pair. I love the heart! Wouldn't that be cute for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day? I love'm!!!

Enjoying Summer

WooWee! It's hot, y'all!!! Not just hot but darn right uncomfortable. It's taken everything out of me to roll off the couch and get my housework done. I get so lazy during this time of year. Summer just started and I'm already looking forward to fall. Not that the fall is much cooler. If you live in the South y'all know we have two seasons, hot and hotter. Well, we're in the hotter season and I'm sure looking forward to it being just plain hot again.

Does it get cold in the South? I'll tell ya those two weeks are colder than I can stand. I have to pull out my entire winter wardrobe of three sweaters. And sometimes I have to actually wear a coat. But I only drag that thing out when it's down in the low 40's or 50's. It actually snowed in New Orleans/Houston/Austin last year. It was just slush but everyone was acting like it was the Ice Age. It does get cold in Austin (central Texas). Every so often we get ice storms. I remember my first experience. I actually saw a dead frozen squirrel. That should tell ya how well Southern Texans are prepared for cold weather; even the squirrels are caught off guard.

This weekend I broke down and bought a pool. I guess y'all could call it an above ground pool. It's more a mid range kiddie pool. I got the biggest one from Target. Just looking at the picture of the family enjoying that cool water got me all excited. So I dragged it in the back yard and used our air blower thingy to blow it up. Ahhh, liquid heaven while sipping my cold lemonade. My hubby laughed at me but soon even he couldn't resist the cool liquid temptation. However, our neighbor came out to prune her roses along the fence line. She could hear us splashing around. She knows this house doesn't have in ground pool. I could only imagine what she thought of her new neighbors, LOL! I'm sure she ran back into her house and told her husband, "Yup, their from New Orleans alright. Those crazy Louisianans." Regardless of our high sophisticated profile we sure are enjoying our new pool. How are y'all keeping cool this summer?

6 Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy

Nancy over at http://nancywiebel.blogspot.com/ (not sure how to just highlight name yet) just listed her 6 unimportant things that make her happy. She asked to list ours as well if you've stopped by her blog recently. So, here's my 6 unimportant things that make me happy.....

1.) Tea Cups - I love receiving and buying tea cups. I have a beautiful tea set that I often use. It makes me feel girly and I feel special when I drink flavored tea from them.

2.) Hair product- I love getting my hair done. I should have gone to beauty school because only stylist get as excited about hair color/products as much as I do. I love trying new colors and cuts. My poor husband never knows what I'll look like when I return home from a afternoon at the salon.

3.) Milk Duds- I love them!!! When I have a bad day I stop by the store and buy a box of Milk Duds and all my troubles seem to melt away with one after another delicious dud.

4.) Bubble Baths- I love to use scented bubbles and sit in a warm bath during the cool winter months. It makes me feel pampered.

5.) Tennis- I love to play tennis. It's helps me balance my stress level. It doesn't matter what's going on in my life if I play a good game I feel like a million bucks.

6.) Lipstick- I'm addicted to lipstick. I can't leave the house unless I have lipstick on. I even wear it to the gym. It's a sickness, LOL!!! And I'm constantly looking up the new colors and make up lines.

I am, I am, Uncle Sam....

Today I ran by Hobby Lobby and I found this adorable Uncle Sam. I couldn't resist buying him. Perhaps I'm getting out of control decorating for the holidays but I think it makes everything festive and fun. What do y'all think of my new Uncle Sam?

My Jazzy 4th of July Decorations

Here's my festive holiday decorations for the 4th of July. Hope y'all like them. I'm so proud of myself because I bought everything either at a thrift store/garage sale. I think I paid a whopping $30 total for everything. I love my new patriotic pillow sitting in my rocker.

Look at all those pine needles. I'm so sick of picking up needles from my flower beds. It's been a never ending chore around here. However, the trees are gorgeous. The squirrels think so too. They use them as launching pads to go from house to house. Those darn tree rats get into everything. All you have to do is mention the word squirrel and everyone in the community rolls their eyes and shakes their heads. We have two squirrels that like to hang out in our back yard. One is super fat and eats all my bird seed. We named him, "Beaudroux." He's our Cajun squirrel.

I heard that they have a little old town 4th of July parade in the community we live in. I'm super excited to see it. We are going to watch the parade and celebrate with our traditional BBQ. I'm making a home made apple pie this year too. I got a great recipe for a buttery crust. Looks fabulous! If it's good I'll post the recipe. How does your family celebrate the 4th of July?

Gardening

This weekend my hubby and I are working on the yard. I love it! It's so relaxing to throw my iPod on and get my hands dirty. I'm excited to learn as much as possible about this new region. Houston is really different from Austin. It's more tropical (like New Orleans) and Austin is more dry like California. I'm excited to plant new interesting plants and flowers. I love banana trees. We had a huge banana tree back in New Orleans. Today we're running by the nursery and I hope to find some fun plants. What are some of your favorite flowers that you've planted?

My "Want List"

Floral Garden Boots. I would be styl'n in my yard in these boots. And they keep those pesty red ants off my toes.



Look at this beautiful bird house! Wow, our birds would feel "up town" in a house like this.

Summer Table Settings

I love to entertain so I'm always looking for cute table setting ideas. I came across this country setting with a cute tea party twist. Don't those cucumber sandwiches look absolutely delish? If you have a beautiful backyard this would be the perfect time to take advantage of the great weather and invite some of your favorite girlfriends over for some tea sandwiches, fruit, muffins, desserts, and flavored ice tea.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Y'all, I'm so spoiled. My hubby really went out of his way to make my Birthday very special this year. He made it an entire weekend affair. He does so much and I'm really blessed. Yesterday morning I woke up to a table full of gifts. Y'all, it looked like a party except it was all from him. And he put so much thought into each one. After I opened up all my gifts he took me away for the weekend for some antiquing, R&R, and some great food. Thanks Pookie baby for making me feel so special!!!

Here's some of my favorite gifts I got:

Two New Orleans cook books I've had my eye on for some time.

My favorite magazines (back issues I don't have) and yearly subscriptions.

Two Southern Lady books I've been wanting:

Look what my hubby got me! It's a cute little pendant that reads, "LOVE YA LA." Even though we live in Texas our hearts will always belong to New Orleans. Louisiana will always be the root of our marriage. Gotta love that pendant...

He also bought me a ton of make up from my favorite line, 3 Ann Taylor purses, a really cute Ann Taylor skirt, and some really cute journals that I like to use for jotting down new boutiques, shops, and websites. All in all it was a fantastic Birthday weekend!

Banana Pudding Parfaits

Woohoo! Is there anyone else out there like myself that has too many glasses to know what to do with? I love my beautiful glasses but they aren't being utilized much these days. Sure, you pull out your traditional glasses for your table setting during the holidays but what about the glasses in the back? You know the ones that are so pretty that you couldn't dream of getting rid of but you never use them. Well, I came across this idea for serving Banana Pudding Parfaits. Oh, I'm just tickled because I have the best glasses to serve them in. Great for entertaining this summer.

Banana Pudding Parfait
Ingredients:
1 large pkg instant vanilla pudding, (6 ounces)
2 1/2 cups cold milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk, (14 ounces)
1 container whipped topping, (16 ounces)
sliced bananas
vanilla wafer cookies

Mix pudding and milk; add condensed milk. Blend well; fold in half the whipped topping.
Alternate layers of pudding, bananas and crushed vanilla wafers; top with remaining whipped topping and a one whole wafer.

Most of y'all know that I'm a huge Layla Grace fan. However, her things are a bit on the pricey side. I get a lot of my ideas from her site and her blog. Y'all, check out this adorable cake plate. You can find this on her site at laylagrace.com retailing for $150.00 for all three. But I've seen them in kitchen stores at any kitchen outlet for under $50 each. I saw something very similar at Walmart for around $30.00 so you'll have to shop around. I have a plate similar to this and it's so great because I just change the color of ribbon to suit the holiday. Very simple but elegant.

PICNICS

When Richard and I use to live in California we would pack a picnic, jump in the car, and go. We wouldn't have a destination but would explore the back roads and countryside. When we came across beautiful scenery we would pull over and have ourselves a feast. Those are some of my favorite memories. Carefree, simple, and taking in God's creation. Well, I have no idea what happened to our old picnic basket so I'm on a mission to look for another. I'm thinking since Texas is so BIG we have a lot of exploring to do. Look at these cute baskets I came across.....

Summer

I'm so happy it's summer. I love the summer time. I use to love it a bit more when I lived back in California (no humidity or bugs). However, it's still one of my favorite seasons. Some of my favorite things about a Texas summer are:

Shopping/Staying at B&B cottage in the Hill Country

A cold glass of Southern Sweet Tea

Working in the yard

Sitting in our rocking chairs on the front porch

HAPPY SUMMER Y'ALL!