Unfashionably Late, Favorite Things, Mother’s Day

Sheila at Note Songs is having a party.  It is a Bathroom Beauty snapper.  I know, I didn’t know what to think either.  You have to take a pic in the mirror.  Apparently some of the veteran bloggers have been doing this for years, snapping in beautiful hotel bathrooms etc. 

I wasn’t going to do it, but gave in at the last minute.

Remember the Unknown comic?  The guy with the brown grocery bag on his head??

You know I have a penchant of WSonoma Outlet, so for Sheila’s party, I thought this would be appropriate..

Here’s your invite..

  And a special flower for you!  :)

A gift..I love them, don’t dry your hands on them! Just shake your hands and blow on them, they’ll dry!

We live here all year round, so I don’t know if it qualifies…:)

  Stop over to see the other Divas Bathroom Shots at Note Songs…

Laurie’s is hysterical! 

For her Favorite Things  meme I picked this..

Like I said..I PICKed them , Lily of the Valley..

I love their aroma, and they remind me of my mom..who loved flowers and had beautiful gardens..and was a wonderful mom to her four girls.

I remember the clematis climbing the hooks and strings she fashioned on the side of the house…the amazing roses..She was never too tired to help anyone, and no one was out of the way for her!

For our dance recitals , although we wanted the bouquets from the florist , she made ours..nosegays filled with peonies and roses..

And I continue the tradition for my little gdau., Lily.    When I can beat the deer to my flowers, ie!:)

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers and aunts out there..

A special thanks to the mothers whose sons and daughters  are serving our country..God bless you!

Enjoy the day!

Fiesta~ Grab your Sombrero!

I don’t know anyone who celebrates Cinco de Mayo.  Actually according to info on the net, only one state of Mexico does ..

So maybe it is an American thing like the big ST. Pat’s parties?  But I know I saw a poster for Corona beer..around March.  “Viva St. Pat’s” it said.  So in the spirit of pay back..Fiesta Time..

Unless you’re from the Mexican state of Puebla, the 5th of May is just like any other ordinary day. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day (which is actually September 16), but is in fact the day General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín and his army surprisingly defeated the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. (info from the net)

But when I saw these dishes…

!¡Ay, caramba!  This dish addict was sold…So I am celebrating!

Gibson, on clearance in the Supermarket..50 cents..bowls and plates..

Red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.

So what to use? 

I tried lots of cloths..

This was good, but not Fiesta y enough..

I decided on a bright yellow, with yellow napkins..

Red chargers and napkin rings  from PBarn outlet,  they actually rattle….flatware by Cambridge.

For the centerpiece I tied some maracas with colorful ribbon to a basket filled with fresh yellow mums. 

I put a striped napkin under the basket and used mini sombreros as place markers..

Green BEE glasses for the Corona and clear water glasses.  Red ramekins for the condiments..you need that cool sour cream to cool down those spicy foods..:)

Please visit our sweet host,  Susan,  at  Between Naps on the Porch for many other entries!

Happy Cinco, life is short,  celebrate everything, and thanks for visiting!

My shot from the BLUE HOUR.  I think we have too many trees to see it well.

Onion Odes and More

Ode to an Onion  (For Miss Matlock’s letter O  )

You  smell oh so badly,

And bring tears to my eyes,

But I can’t give you up,

Grilled, sauteed or fried.

You cause gastric disorders

You know that it’s true,

But I’d miss you so much

In  my salads and stew.

I adore the smell of you sauteeing

In e v o o

I must have you in meatballs,

You’re so needed, you know!

I can’t give you up,

You are good for my heart.

Though I slice you and dice you…

We never will part!

:)

Go visit Jenny Matlock to see the other Letter O assignments.

I am joining Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, and Favorite Things at Bargain Hunting with Laurie.

Shrimp with  Creamy Feta Rice and Sauteed Spinach with bacon.. I know Carol, you are allergic! :)

Easy and delicious, well, if you like feta..:)

I will be joining Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie Favorite Things Saturday…Everyone is invited!

Thanks for stopping in!

In the Pink..and Blue

I’ll report, you decide! Which white plate /bowl?

I couldn’t pass this bargain up at WSonoma Outlet several months ago..My friend, The Tablescaper did a beautiful table with this cloth awhile ago..

It really isn’t me, but I figured I could use it…

115.00..no way!  But 8.  I ‘d go for that..

 

I tried it with a white charger, and didn’t like it..

A pink round mat?

Didn’t like that…

A navy plate with no Churchill?

 

Nah…such stressful decisions for my make believe guests :)

So I put a navy plate which was just a tiny bit larger under the Blue Willow by Churchill, which soo many of us have.  (2.99 for plate, cup and saucer in the super market) 

Used what was blooming for the centerpiece…

But didn’t know which to use as a salad or soup…

A pretty porcelain fan plate from HG..

 

A covered Lions head bowl from WS outlet?

A short squat covered bowl?

A square bowl from Pfaltzgraff?

And since it was just for fun..a different one at each!

I think I like this one..

The stems are by Dansk, and the white alabaster napkin rings WSonoma outlet..

Oh the napkins??

.99 cents..:)

And where Is Moldova anyway?  How exotic!  :)

Before anyone tells me, I did look it up!

Please join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for all the other tables this week.

Thanks for visiting!  Next table ?  A clue?

Get out your sombrero!  :)

PSST!  Pattie and Allie are having a great give away..check it out here.

Power Washing….Never Again

I had no intentions of doing a Met Monday.  I haven’t morphed anything.

Then I read the first few sentences of Susan of Between Naps on the Porch ‘s  Metamorphosis Monday post.  About power washing…We will never do it again.

Last summer we tried this product…

 

This is the trial spot where I just sprayed a little on to test it…Can you see the difference?

See how nice and clean the steps came out?

Our deck is cedar, and we had carefully power washed every year.  No matter how careful, the wood gets chewed up.

You get a garden sprayer which is about 20 bucks..

spray it on, leave for about 10 min.,  no scrubbing, then wash off with a garden hose.  Done!  So much faster than the power washer, and no noise!

We tried it first on the wood of the gazebo, and it came up like new! It was all blackish before..

Once the new outdoor shower was built, we did the whole deck and porch with it. It took the green off the wood spindles.

You do have to protect your plants…wet any of them that are close prior and wash off immediately.  I covered ours with a tarp..

These pics are from last year..too cold here to get the porch ready..

It is about 14 dollars in Lowe’s..Costco had it too, but was all sold out last time.

We used it on the wood railings, shutters, cement, cedar shakes and  moldy roof shingles. It did a great job on the vinyl arbor and planters too.

Check it out…( I wish they were paying me to say this, but they aren’t!)

Happy porch preparing..another month to go here!

Go check out the true metamorphs at Susan’s!

You Might As Well Face It..I’m Addicted to..

Mr. Cuisine’s   :) homemade Raisin Bread.. Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven.…esp if I didn’t have to make it..

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe

Photo by: Taste of Home

 

• 32 Servings
• Prep: 25 min. + rising Bake: 45 min.

Ingredients

• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup raisins
• Additional canola oil
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, oil, salt, eggs and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place or until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Knead 1/2 cup raisins into each; roll each portion into a 15-in. x 9-in. rectangle. Brush with additional oil. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle to within 1/2 in. of edges.
• Tightly roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seam to seal. Place, seam side down, in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Brush with oil. Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 144 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 13 mg cholesterol, 226 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread published in Best of Country Breads , p85

 

 

Fresh picked local strawberries, injected with real whipped cream…

Homemade pizza..whole wheat crust so it is guilt free..:)

And corn picked while you wait!  Run home cook it and slather it with butter…a summer delight..

Laurie, and I so glad you picked My Favorite Things, because I don’t think I will ever run out of favorites!

Stop over and see the other entries this week..And if you see Laurie’s Stencils anywhere, give a yell!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Psst..I have a few things to show you!

It’s Friday, time to join  dear ML at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday..And my  old friend Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet for Flashback Friday..Thank you dear ladies!

First the plate..by Paula Dean..she makes plates too?  What a gal! :)

Cute!  Even cuter..the price..

Add a chicken and swiss pannini…

Some fresh cole slaw in a cute  little polka dot bowl from CTS..1.29

And I was a happy camper!

My Experiments..

Ok so the brown bananas were piling up in the container in the frig..

And I had 2 pans I got at WS outlet on sale before Easter I hadn’t tried…

You know I didn’t pay that they were half off and  then I had a coupon..

So I baked up those bananas using the same recipe I have used forever, and…

Cute little Banana Bread bites…and

Flower shaped banana cupcakes dipped in chocolate icing and my attempt to copy theirs, with whipped cream..

But wait, I had to make a triple recipe of banana bread to use up the bananas, so I used my Tiara pan, the one so many of us got free years ago from Duncan Hines….

I filled the middle with chocolate pudding, and piped on the whipped cream…

On a pretty lavender blue cake plate ..I got half price, 3.50 at CTS..

 

Have a slice?

I took the next shot INSIDE the frig…a chilly light box…LOL

Bargain Hunting with Laurie’s Favorite Things is Saturday she wants you to come..:)

Have a great weekend..thanks for visiting!