Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Let's Dish #8 Mother's Day Challenge~ Here's To Mom!

Welcome to the Mother's Day Challenge at Let's Dish.
This week I invite you to link up a table, or table related things from your mom or mil.  This topic was decided on by the members.

Are you a member?

 It is free to join, just show up Wed at 7 to link up or participate in the conversation! :)

My mom's favorite color was yellow.  Her kitchen was a sunny yellow, and her gkids knew if they saw something in yellow, Nana would like it!

 Her mixer, her coffee pot, and in later years, even her pale yellow Cadillac!  Apparently, they were very popular in Florida. :)
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I featured a bowl here she made in ceramics in her later years.  I know she would have loved the yellow table!

My mom, Grace, was the oldest of  7 children.

She raised 4 wonderful daughters, the youngest turning out the best!  My sisters who are reading those are throwing up right now, lol!

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This linen table cloth and napkin were an engagement gift to her, monogrammed with a D.

The day she got married, in 1934  I believe, she worked half a day at her job, went home and got ready for her wedding.

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Her younger sister is in the upper right corner.
  She died at 33 leaving 3 young boys.

 Though my mom had 4 children of her own, including my sister who was in a wheelchair her whole life and needed a tremendous amount of care, my mom wanted to take the 3 boys to live with us.

PS, it didn't happen.  My uncle raised the boys, but my mom did all she could.

The cousins still joke about the look on the Connolly girls' faces when they thought they would have 3 brothers! My cousin always talks about how my mom sent him money every week when he was in the Army.  She loved those boys, and they knew it.


My grandmother died at 54, and my mom's youngest sister was still a teen, so she came to live with us.
 She was treated like one of their own girls, and when she got married, my dad gave her away and took care of the wedding.  Strong family values for sure!

I always think back about how hard my mom worked.  Her house was always immaculate, the laundry was done, and there was  a home cooked meal on the table every night. Yet, she always had time to help others.

After we were all gone, she would go to Sat. 5 PM Mass and bring home some older  ladies of the parish  who were alone.  She'd give them a good dinner, and drive them home.

Whenever she could steal a few minutes, she was out in her beloved gardens
I think it was therapy for her
She put her family first, took no nonsense and had a strong belief in God.

We often heard, "God never closes one door without opening another."

We weren't rewarded for good behavior or good grades because that was what you were supposed to do.

She had no problem giving us a smack if we thought we could answer back.

 We weren't told we were loved, but we knew we were.



My dad was always working , so she did everything herself.  A very strong woman, for sure!


She was widowed at 49, my sister died the next year at age 26.

She  died at 83 on my 50th birthday.

I was very blessed to have 2 wonderful parents who taught us what was important and showed us through example.

And she is probably in Heaven saying how there are things I should be doing, and blogging isn't one of them!

On to my simple table dedicated to my mom.
 She loved flowers, the only kind I ever heard her say she didn't like were gladiola , as they reminded her of funeral homes!

Let's Dish 543I started with a white cloth with embroidered rosebuds and a handkerchief edge.  It is a cotton shower curtain!
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Next came a mirrored charger
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It has been raining for 2 days, so the light is horrendous!
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The pink plate is Rondo by Mikassa that I got at Savers.  I had never heard of Savers till a few years ago!  My friend, Marigene at In the Middle of Nowhere always found such good things, I had to check it out!  I found the silver candle sticks there too, and Marigene said they were a steal!
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Next came a purple wavy edged plate by Pfaltzgraff.  It picks up the purple in the dinner plate.
The linen  napkins were my mom's, we got them at Gimbels for .10.  There was a huge box of napkins and we picked through till we found enough for both of us!
The silver napkin rings were hers too, we got them with box tops from Land O Lakes butter!
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I used a teapot from Villeroy and Boch filled with roses.
The flowerpots filled with roses were place marks from a wedding.
Pink glassware by Gorham, via Lenox.
Let's Dish 555 The sterling silver s and p's were my mom's too.
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Silver by International.
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Here's to all the mom's, grandmom's, special aunts and big sisters who made a difference in your life!
Let's Dish 545May God Bless them all, and you!
I know my Mom would like one of these whipped cream topped cupcakes with a cup of tea.
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Thanks for stopping by!
Since this is a challenge week, there will be a drawing for a surprise  gift for anyone who is a follower and leaves a comment.
***Be sure to visit The Tablescaper to get in on the $100 dollar gift card give away to celebrate her blogaversary!
I am joining Susan for Tablescape Thursday
Diann for Thrifty Friday
Beverly for Pink Saturday

Happy Mother's Day!  Now Let's Dish about our Mom's!
Please visit as many entrants as you can, I know so many of you do.
And thanks for leaving a comment for me too!
ONE LINK,    NO WORD ID allowed,     Mother's Day related,     and a link back IN your post! 
Thank you! 
Link opens at 7

Sunday, May 6, 2012

First Communion~Baked, Bagged, Tagged, Bowed and Fluffed

It was another busy week here with a happy event on  Saturday.
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My dear grandson made his First Communion and we gathered with family and friends to celebrate.
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Afterwards, my son and dil hosted a beautiful  reception at his golf club where both the kids, and adults had a great time.  The food was wonderful and included passed hot hors' d's of scallops in bacon, mini sliders, chicken wings and others.
The main course was steak,roast turkey , chicken piccata, penne a la vodka, roasted potatoes, crispy carrot salad, a green salad, cole slaw, and lots of other things.  It was all served buffet style and plentiful!
Let's Dish 478Prior to the big day, there were lots of preparations going on here.
These were to become the centerpieces...
Let's Dish 481  after they were fluffed, and bowed and some baby's breath added. I got the large pots of impatiens at a nursery in Jamesport, NY, Gabrielsen's   The price was fabulous for such large plants.
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One lucky person at each table  got to take the centerpiece home to enjoy all summer.
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Each guest was given a choice of breads or pound cake that I baked to take home.
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There was Irish Soda, Banana, Banana Choc Chip, Lemon, Lemon Blueberry, and Chocolate Chocolate Chip.
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I used Ina's recipe for the Lemon.
I "monogrammed" the bag, bowed and tagged them.
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36 full loaves.  Phew!
Let's Dish 491Goody Bags for the kids filled with candy.
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Here the kids await their turn for face painting...
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While some use their wait time getting some exercise .
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That way they could have a bigger piece of  whipped cream cake!  :)
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It may have rained, but it was a beautiful day to us !  May God keep Michael close to His heart.
I just  finished making my rounds to those who linked up last week for Let's Dish, please excuse the delay!!
Remember the Mother's Day Challenge this Wednesday at 7 for Let's Dish!
A table  dedicated to mom, or table related item of or from your Mom or MIL.  It will be a tribute to our mom's , whether we are still blessed with them, or just blessed with wonderful memories of them!
Hope to see you there!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday
Shannon's Cozy Home Party
Marty for Tabletop Tuesday
Kathe with an E for Your Gonna Love it Tues.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Let's Dish # 7 OLE'!

Welcome to the 7th Let's Dish, the place  dish lovers meet Wed night's at 7, LOL!
Next week is the
 MOTHER'S DAY CHALLENGE.

It can be a table dedicated to your mom, or showing us something table related she has given you.  It could be from mom, or mom in law too!  As for all challenges, a little give away  too!

Tonight I am bringing a little Fiesta table for Cinco de Mayo  to the meeting of dish dames!  So get out your maracas and sombreros, and Let's Dish!

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A few years I got these colorful plates by Gibson for .50 in the supermarket.  Lots of colors to choose from!

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I used a green ruffled charger from CTS, the colorful plates and soup/salad bowl, flatware by Fiesta via Tues. Morning.
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I used those same 1.00 red and yellow tulips in my mom's yellow pitcher as the centerpiece.  I placed it on a folded runner made from a 1.00 curtain panel from CTS.

I turned 2 Margherita  stainless steel glasses upside down to hold the candles.  Some maracas tied with colorful ribbon for the dancing we will do later!  :)

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Green napkin, maracas napkin rings from PBarn, and yellow condiment/butter dish from Target.

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Look at these glasses!
Yellow and green speckled perfect for a Corona , or in my case Sierra Mist Free!  They were a birthday gift from Alma, The Tablescaper.
 They are sure to appear in many tablescapes!
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Another view, with a green bottle of mineral water dressed up for the Fiesta!

I didn't do a Fiesta table last year but the year before I used these dishes.  Same dishes, maracas and napkin rings, but the rest is different.
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I think I can get another year out of them, there's blue in  them, so I can go with that!


In my last post I showed you the centerpieces and favors I did for a baby shower last Sat. 
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Let's Dish 443I got lots of emails with questions  about them. 
I got the snapdragons for 1.49 a 4 in pot at HDepot.
The roses were 100 in a bundle for 14.99 at Sams Club, and they were gorgeous.

As I said, they have a great selection of flowers, much better than Costco and so much more reasonable than a florist.    I have been buying them for parties for years.

If you didn't see the beautiful cake, click here!  Worth a look.


I made some of the food for the shower.
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This is a Chicken Snow Pea Bow Tie Pasta Salad.

Great for a crowd.

I seasoned and  roasted a package of chicken cutlets, about 3 lbs I guess.  Two  12 oz  boxes of bowties, a large onion minced, celery diced, and shaved carrots.  I guess about a lb of snow peas.

I used mayo, cider vinegar, powdered mustard, orange juice, pepper and an envelope of Geo Washington seasonings, which is like a granular  chicken base. 
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I know, no exact amounts, but I never use a recipe for any kind of salad!  You don't need to, taste as you go and adjust!  Salads are so easy!

And since this is Let's Dish, check out this LARGE  pale green cabbage bowl from WSonoma Outlet.  Marked $48.00, I got it for $11.00.  It held a lot!

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I gave one to my dil too, but I left the 48.00 tag on, lol!  (She knows I would never pay that!)
I hope no one who paid $48.00 is reading this!

This post is getting long, so I will show what else I made another time.

Ellen at The Happy Wonderer had the most clicks last week at 63!





 Lots were in the 50's, so I thank you all for being such good party goers and visiting so many entrants!

Thanks so much for visiting me too!

What do you have for us this week?

Same rules, ONE link ,dish related, no word ID allowed.
I appreciate you using your blog name or your name instead of the post name, but you can do both, there is room.  It helps me keep it straight when I am visiting.

Please link back to Let's Dish in your post, and I'd love to have you leave a comment. Most of you are kind enough to do so, thanks!  I try to visit all the entrants who leave a comment.

Link opens at 7, NY time.

I am joining Susan for Tablescape Thursday
Diann for Thrifty Things Friday

Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Baby Shower

Yesterday I went to a Baby Shower for my dil's sister.
First came love!
Then came marriage,   I posted about her wedding in 2010  here .
Now comes baby in a baby carriage.  :)

My dil is the oldest of 4 girls, so this is the baby of the family.  They are 6 years apart.
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The cake was so pretty, chocolate filled with a raspberry cream.
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I did the centerpieces, baby pink roses and white mums and baby's breath in containers from an older sister's baby shower.
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Some were booties, carriages etc.
Let's Dish 434I did 5 of those, and had some extra roses, so I did one in a wicker carriage I had.
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I love making centerpieces!  I get my flowers at Sam's Club, they are more reasonable than Costco and have a bigger selection.  If you are doing a large party, you can order on line and have them delivered.
I also did little boxes , Debbie Mumm design, and filled them with mints.
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The pink snapdragons I showed you ...
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became the favors.
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Swaddled in pink tissue, then  a white bag, tagged and bowed.  Ready to be planted in their gardens.  Grow baby grow!
We used the lime and white polka dot plates, pale pink tablecloths with pink napkins and pink flatware.
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My gifts were packed in this adorable , sturdy pink duffle bag.  I gave a few onesies, a ducky towel, soft pique rattle, child fork and spoon ,  a baby float and a gift check to put away for baby.
Let's Dish 442 The bag is from Pottery Barn, and was outside in bins. I couldn't believe the price! ( 2.97) So much better than packing it in a paper gift bag, I think!  They were able to pack a lot of the other gifts into the bag too.
I did some of the food too, but I will save that for Let's Dish, Wednesday at 7!  Hope you will join us with a tablescape, a dish or glass collection or some things you have found to use on your table.  We love seeing your treasures!
Thanks for visiting, if I didn't get to your post yet, I am coming!  As you can see, I had a few projects going on these past few days!

I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday
Susan for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty for Tabletop Tuesday
Kathe with an E for You're Gonna Love it Tues. 
Shannon for Cozy Home Scenes Party
Beverly for Pink Saturday

Don't forget the Mother's Day Tablescape Challenge, May 9th!

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