Tablescape Thursday - Mellow Yellow

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday and

Thrifty Thursday

hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch and Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville.

If you haven't visited these blogs before you are in for a real treat.

Mellow Yellow

This is my first Thrifty Thursday and I thought I would combine

it with my Tablescape Thursday.

I did a little shopping in the clearance isle at my

friendly neighborhood HomeGoods and came

home with the following:

(1) Tablecloth with a yellow and orange paisley design (I realized

I didn't have anything in these colors and they were so happy)

(2) Oddball napkins @ .70 ea

(4) Sunflower plates @ 2.99 ea

(1) orange candle @ 1.00

(6) Brown metal napkin rings with a flower design (from Pier I)

Here are the yellow and orange items I scavenged for my table.

The tablecloth was a small rectangle so I laid it out on the diagonal.

I used the 2 bargain napkins to put in the center. See one is solid and one is striped.

My place setting was my sunflower plate on top of

a pale yellow plate on top of a wood charger.

I used some cream napkins with tan accents for my brown metal

napkin rings.

The yellow water glasses were a previous purchase and the yellow

sherry glasses (no we didn't have sherry) were

from my grandfather.

The flowers were a combination of a bouquet given to me as a hostess

gift and darker orange and yellow roses from my yard.


Do you like the cute little salt and pepper shakers.


The lantern was also a previous purchase. I don't know
where it will finally make it's home, but I did like it on this table.

Thank you for stopping by and sharing my Thrifty Thursday and
Tablescape Thursday. Check back with both Susan and Leigh and
see what the participants are sharing today. You will be in for a treat.

Happy Shopping

The Color Purple and No Southern Belle

Happy Outdoor Wednesday!

This event is hosted by the lovely Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. This is always such a fun day. Check out all of the participants for some inspirational beauty.

The Color Purple


It's that time of year in our small town in Southern California.

It is Jacaranda season.

Our town turns purple at the end of May and if we are lucky it lasts until the end of June. Everywhere you look you see purple.

These are some of my favorite trees and I didn't do them justice. Maybe I can go out and get some better pictures. They are beautiful.

It's amazing that flowers can be this purple

No Southern Belle

That's right, here in California we have Magnolia trees.

They are blooming right now and are beautiful. I can only

imagine how beautiful the Magnolia trees in the south must be.

Hopefully I will see some on this beautiful Outdoor Wednesday.

I love how large these flowers are.

Don't they look pretty against the blue sky?

Thanks for stopping by now back to Susan's for more outdoor fun.

200th post

200 and counting .....

Can you believe this is my 200th post? I remember when my friend
Kris talked me into starting a blog. I didn't even know how or what
a blog was let alone how to post.

And now 200 posts later I am having a ball and have learned

how to do so many things with the posts and pictures.

I love blogland and all
of the people in it.

Thanks.

Vivian's May Bunco

Bunco Night

Vivian hosted our May Bunco and as usual it was fantastic. She welcomed us with open arms and her ever famous lemonade. She had so many goodies for us we didn't know what to eat first.

Hostess with the Mostest... Vivian
She was wearing beads in honor of Mardi Gras.

Vivian has a wonderful garden as well as a wonderful house. Her

green thumb is known all over Riverside.

This is Shelley and my mom

The gang, we have trouble getting those bunco games

in with all of our talking but that's half the fun.

Here is Vivian's world famous lemonade. She makes

this from lemons she grows in her yard.

Looks like fun This is Vivian's famous coconut cake. It happened to be
Patty's birthday so we celebrated.

Here is the Jersey girl.

Happy Birthday Patty and thank you Vivian for a great time.

Tablescape Thursday -

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday.

This is a lovely event hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

You will experience the most exquisite tablescapes from the participants on Susan's blog.

My tablescape was for a dinner party for 8 very special people.

Well 6 very special people and my husband and myself.

I would like to thank

my guests for such an enjoyable evening

and I would like to welcome my Tablescape Thursday guests for visiting....

I love how you talented tablescapers layer your tables, so for this table I took

my inspiration from you

I started with a white damask tablecloth, and then added a fun square print tablecloth with flowers in aquas and purples. On top of this I used a quilted runner.

I love these colors together.

My centerpiece was a large ornate iron lantern.

I bought this at TJ Maxx with the intention of using it outside but I loved it on this table.



I love birds so I added birds, and if you have birds you must have eggs and if you have eggs you must have bird nests.

Do recognize those bird salt and pepper shakers?

Yes, I couldn't be left out so I bought the Target birds as well. I have yet to name them.

Any suggestions?

I also used Susan's suggestion of linen water when ironing my

napkins. Loved, loved, loved that idea.

Tulips were the flower of choice because those are the
flowers my husband sent me for Mother's Day.

Each place setting had a wooden charger, aqua plate, and aqua flower shaped salad plate. The bread plate is antique china.

Each guest had a cookie on their plate. The cookies were in the shape of crowns because each

guest should be treated as royalty.

The monogram helped everyone find their seat.

I don't know if you can see but the etched water glasses have a purple tint.

Thank you for stopping by for my Tablescape Thursday.
I enjoyed having you.

Now head back to Susan's because you are in for the most lovely tablescapes around blogland.

Outdoor Wednesday - Remembering

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday

Happy Outdoor Wednesday which is hosted by the lovely Susan
at A Southern Daydreamer.

Today I would like to honor the men and women who gave their service and some their

lives so that we might have the many freedoms we enjoy today. Freedoms that we sometimes take for granted until there is a threat of having them taken away.
This year Memorial Day is on May 25th.

Me·mo·ri·al Day (m-môr-l, -mr-) KEY NOUN:
May 30, observed in the United States in commemoration of those members of the armed forces killed in war. It is officially observed on the last Monday in May. Also called Decoration Day .

There is something about watching a flag blowing in the wind that captures your patriotic spirit.

Once a Navy man, always a Navy man...

This is my dad, he was in the Navy during the Korean War.
What I have noticed most about people who have
been in the military is their undying love for our country.


So in keeping with the upcoming holiday, I pulled out the bunting.

I love to see my house in it's patriotic colors.

Bunting makes me think of summer.
I am not quite ready for the heat of summer but maybe the homemade ice cream could make an appearance at anytime.

Ivy and I also planted a few planters in the front yard on Sunday. Here she is enjoying the fruits of her labor.

It needs to fill in a bit but I think I will have some nice color soon.
Foxgloves have always been one of my favorites. Ivy picked the color.

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy holiday... maybe

make some homemade ice cream and give a veteran a hug.

Now skip on back to Susan's for more outdoor fun. You will see a list of

participants to continue your outdoor adventures.

Forever may she wave......

over the land of the free.

Tonight is the Night - What do you think?

~DWTS~

Yes, my first season of Dancing with the Stars will come to a close tonight. I love all 3 of the finalists, and I think they are all very talented.

~ Shawn and Mark ~

I love Shawn's dedication and work ethic. I think her moves are so precise and she is so graceful when she dances. She is fun to watch and I think Mark is her perfect partner. I do think the judges are a little too hard on her, and I think she is Carrie Anne's least favorite.

~ Melissa and Tony ~

I don't think Melissa did as well as the others last night. I love her enthusiasm and I think she also has a great work ethic and strong fan base. Her freestyle routine was not my favorite, I think they tried too hard. Still she and Shawn remain my favorites.

~ Gilles and Cheryl ~

Gilles is very talented but I am a little tired of watching him cry each week. He must be a terrific actor or just a very sensitive guy. I do love to watch him dance the Latin dances but I am a bit tired of Cheryl. She loves to hang all over him and last night was a bit much. Their freestyle was my least favorite of the three, but he is very good looking and sexy. That may carry him to the top. PS - I think Len is "in love" with Gilles.

I have loved my new obsession and can't wait until next season ... and this

season hasn't even ended.

Who's your favorite? And I don't mean Sandy and Danny.....

They wanted to come back for the finals, they have the moves.

Outdoor Wednesday - Hubby's gift

Today is one of my favorite days. Today is Outdoor Wednesday hosted by

the lovely Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

How does your husband show his love?

Candy, flowers, jewelry are a few of our favorite ways for our husbands to show us they care. Mine perfers showing his love by working hard for me. I don't think he

would recognize this in himself, but he always goes over and above with his

willingness to work for me and our family.

He chose this Mother's Day weekend to spruce up the yard. He worked

from morning until dusk to give me this gift.

This is a view from the gazebo looking up towards the house.
We love to have dinner here.

This is the wisteria covered arbor. It is always a nice cool place for a beverage.

Another view of the arbor.

This is the patio close to the house.


We have a pretty view of the yard from here.

and this is a comfy seating area on the upper patio.


Roses by the gazebo

Bougainvillea in full bloom

Hibiscus just to make us think of Hawaii

I even got new paper lanterns hung for the summer.

and I had to include a picture of my wild and crazy clock. I bought this in Oklahoma.

(I got many rolling eyes from the family for this purchase)

I was so upset when I realized I couldn't get it home.

My son in law vounteered to carry on the plane all the way from Oklahoma a few months later.

He got many wild looks and I'm sure he was very embarrassed,

but he delivered it safe and sound. I wonder how many times during that trip he

asked himself why?

Thank you for walking my yard with me and enjoying my husband's hard work.

Now back to Susan's for more Outdoor Wednesday fun.......