Metamorphosis Monday....A Tale of Three Doors

Susan At Between Naps on the Porch has invited us once again to share our changes large and small for Metamorphosis Monday. My changes involve the front door--the first thing you see when you go to anybody's house. I think it such an important first impression. So often we are so busy making sure the inside of the house is just right when we entertain, we forget to check the front door! You may remember Sunshine, our daughter, got married in June (as if I hadn't told you :). She moved into a darling bungalow style house the groom bought last year. To say that it was in dire need of a woman's touch is a vast understatement. Last week we made sure the entrance said "welcome".

I started out with this door pocket I picked up out of the trash while I was helping a friend move. Not very interesting at this point, but free and full of possibilities. I thought I might try something new and found a hammered- finish spray paint by Rust-Oleum. I thought a little texture might dress up their black door. After a trip to Garden Ridge during one their 50% off sales, I set to work. I just picked up fall colors and make sure to include different textures. I like grasses in arrangements. Beloved is a hunter and I always make him save pheasant feathers from his yearly pheasant hunting trip.

I think it's a good size for this door and doesn' t block the light coming into the room. Yep, I think the front door could use painting too--kept my mouth shut. I'm working really hard at this "letting go and being a good mother in law" thing :)

The next door starts out with the basic cheap and on sale grapevine wreath. I am giving a baby shower next Sunday and this wreath will be on my front door to welcome guests. After the shower, I will give it to the mom-to-be for her own front door for after the little one arrives.

I made the ribbon and attached things from the dollar store with a hot glue gun. The ribbon and theme are continued in the foyer in a cloche I posted here. It's so nice when you have the luxury of knowing the sex of the anticipated bundle of joy!

Finally, My front door--again. Remember above I said sometimes we forget to look at our front door through the eyes of visitors? After all, we seldom use them ourselves. I am guilty of this in a big way! When we bought the house, the landscaping was good for the most part. However, shrubs grow while your're not paying attention.

Before I knew it, the entry looked like this! Overgrown and unattractive! These were extremely difficult to prune and hiding my front door. I thought they might have to stay because they would be so hard to remove. Beloved didn't think it would be a problem-----

He sent someone right out! (that is actually a tree being removed, but the same big yellow whatchamacallit removed the shrubs too). I love this man, but I did not marry him because he knew his way around a hardware store or heavy machinery :)--no problem, same result!

This weekend we finally planted two much smaller American boxwoods and trimmed the nandina--huge change! I really think most of us could improve the curb appeal of our houses simply by PRUNING. In this case, at least, I think less was definitely more!

I confesss--I bought this wreath (1/2 price) and just added the pheasant feathers :) I was a little tired! Thanks for "coming to my door". Click on the butterfly button and you'll be back on Susan's doorstep!

I am also linking this to the DIY Showoff--Click here for more ideas!

Cloche Party...It's a Boy!

When Marty at A Stroll Thru Life had her first cloche party, we had just had "The Wedding" the weekend before. My cloche, if I had owned one, would have had one limp daisy under it to represent me--happy, but exhausted. But no more! The bride is back from the honeymoon, the mother of the bride is rested, and I own a cloche! Now on to the next project...a baby shower at my house in ten days!

My daughter and I are hosting a shower for the mother of a soon-to-be-born baby boy. This is the cloche that will greet guests in my foyer. This, of course, is a "test cloche". I think I will try to use yellow rose buds rather than fully open roses for the shower.

Yellow and blue invitations are in the mail! Since we have the luxury of knowing the baby is a boy, we have chosen a yellow and blue theme--one of my favorite color combinations. I used this wired ribbon here on the cloche and on a baby-themed door wreath I'll show you later.

I wanted the cloche to include timeless treasured baby objects...a silver porringer, a monogrammed teething ring.

A smaller silver baby cup holds baby's breath and a small silver spoon. Although the rest of these treasures belonged to my children, the baby spoon is a recent find. It was in the chest of seldom-used silver plate flatware that had belonged to my mother. It is an old and very popular pattern called "First Love"...how fitting. Maybe she once fed me with this spoon.

I like the way the Celtic cross shows through the cloche. This would be a great way to display a baby's keepsakes in the nursery....placed away from tiny probing hands :)

I am so happy that I got to come to the party. I can't wait to see what Marty and the rest of you have "under glass"! Hurry over to Marty's party.Your invitation is below!

Tablescape Thursday....Elementary My Dear

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is our gracious hostess and for many of us our gracious and willing blog tutor! I seem to be in a nostalgic "back to school" mode this week. What says "back to school" more than primary colors?

One of the things I love about being invited to your tables each week is the inspiration you give me to think about using what I already have in different ways. This past weekend we had family here for the football game and Labor Day weekend. With the hustle and bustle of house guests and a three year old who is learning her colors, a casual table in primary colors emerged!

One of the things I love about being invited to your tables each week is the inspiration to use pieces I already have in brand new ways! With the exception of the water goblets and flower vases, you have seen everything at one time or another in other tablescapes.

I like the simple textures to go with the casual basic colors theme. Each layer is a lesson for a three year old and no layer is too fussy to be used.

One thing the three year old niece did not get at her place setting was one of these water goblets. I have been looking for quite some time, in stores and online, for black goblets at a reasonable price. Then..one day, there they were. Six of them waiting for me at TJ Maxx and for $2.99 each! Miss Priss got a yellow sippy cup instead! No use crying over spilled milk or broken glassware :).

The "vases" are Dollar Tree glasses I used as an experiment a while back to test spray paint on glass. The results are pretty good--not flawless, but a good solution in a pinch.

Yellow spider mums from the sale bin in a red, a green, and a yellow vase continue the primary color theme....red and yellow candles lit as the sun goes down.

All in all, it's a very elementary tablescape and a good lesson in colors. Wait, I do think I've left out one major color Miss Priss needs to know...brown. Hmmm....How to fix that situation? With dessert, of course! Chocolate ice cream will fill the bill!

Problem solved...elementary, my dear! Susan and lots of others have seats at their tables just waiting for you. Your reservation is ready--just click on the button!

Back to School...Do You Remember When?

Labor Day has finally come heralding what most of us consider the beginning of fall no matter what the calendar or the weather say. Lots of children are already in school and the rest will begin this week. Although I no longer teach or even have children in school, it always make me a little nostalgic. I've been thinking this weekend...Do you remember....?




When the most important decision you had to make was what to wear on the first day of school?





When you thought you would die if your best friends weren't in your homeroom?







When you thought you'd be friends forever?





When you were shocked to find out your teacher had a first name besides Mrs.?



When you thought your teacher was older than dirt...and she was younger than you are now?

When your station in life was determined by the size of your box of crayons?

When your biggest worry was who you would sit with at lunch?

When the school paste smelled like peppermint and the halls smelled like fresh wax?

When you could figure out right from wrong by looking for the red marks on your paper?

Me too....Happy Labor Day!

I'll be linking this on Tuesday at Tam's at the Gypsy's Corner for Three or More Tuesday...just three or more of my thoughts on Labor Day.

Bananas Foster with Brennan's and Me

I am so happy Michael at Designs by Gollum has had good news to report about Mister. Wheww...the little fellow had all of us in Blogland worried. Graciously, she is hosting Foodie Friday. Thanks Michael...you never missed a beat!

And since my post, in part, is about this pink building I will be linking to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday. Thanks to both! This is a picture of Brennan's world famous restaurant in New Orleans. Brennan's was originally opened on Bourbon Street in 1945 by a New Orleans Irishman who had the dream of opening a fine French restaurant. With a passion for food and the vision of a fine restaurant, Owen Brennan created a dining establishment and experience that has become legendary. No trip to the Big Easy is complete until you have had breakfast at Brennan's. Nothing can compare to sipping milk punch in the quaint courtyard while waiting on your order of Eggs Benedict or Eggs Sardou. The crowning glory, however, comes with dessert. Yes, dessert with breakfast...now you know why this is my kind of place :). Bananas Foster is one of Brennan's most popular requests and a signature recipe. Served flaming at your table, Bananas Foster is the be all and end all of desserts ! It is the perfect end to the perfect dining experience.

So, that being understood, let me give you my version. I long ago decided that there would be no voluntary flames in my dining room. If we ignite rum at our house, it will be by accident. Besides, this is too good for just special occasions. Here's a simple impostor:

Baked Bananas

Slice two ripe but firm bananas and place in baking dish. Melt 1/4 cup butter. Add two tablespoons sugar and one tablespoon cinnamon. Mix well and pour over bananas. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or zap in the microwave on high for 1 1/2-2 minutes. Serve over ice cream and top with whipped cream if desired. Tonight I used Splenda, zapped and served over low carb ice cream---still very good. Beloved said it was the best!! I made you a serving in a crystal sherbet glass--just so you can see what an elegant dessert it can be. It was so warm the topping started bubbling! This is impressive enough for any dinner party!

Now click on the Foodie Friday button for a feast of ideas and visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound on Saturday for Pink Saturday!

Celebrating the Holidays....Are You Ready?

Are you ready...heck yeah, damn right...Hotty Toddy, gosh a mighty....Ole Miss football has its official kick off this weekend. You may not be familiar with us lately. You may, however, know those Manning boys--Peyton, Eli and their father Archie who played at Ole Miss in the '70's. We will spend part of our Labor Day weekend attending the University of MS vs the University of Memphis game in Memphis. This is our first year in ten years not to have a child at Ole Miss--I've had lots of practice tailgating! I thought I might share one of our favorite tailgate recipes. It's always a hit, can be done ahead of time, and fills up a lot of hungry people!

Tailgate Muffalettas

Horizontally slice a loaf of French bread. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Top one side with ham, salami, and pepperoni slices. Top the meat with olive salad. I buy mine in the deli section or salad bar section. You may need to chop this a little more finely if the olives are large. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese . Top with other side of bread. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil. The sandwich can be made ahead of time up to this point. On game day, bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. To keep this warm, I wrap it in newspaper tightly. Be sure to take a serrated knife to slice it at the tailgate. This is always a winner!

Cheri at It's So Very Cheri is hosting a Celebrating the Holidays Party. Click over for more fun, recipes, and pictures Have a fun, safe, and happy Labor Day. Hope your team wins :) !

Metamorphosis Monday....It's all Their Fault

Thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch and Laurie at Bargain Hunting (and chatting) with Laurie, I've been playing with my pictures! These two ladies were kind enough to share their expertise and knowledge to "play" around with our pictures on Photobucket and Photoscape. Now my "to do" list has nothing crossed off, my laundry needs to be put away, and we're having takeout for dinner...and it's all their fault! I still have a long way to go, but this editing pictures is fun! I'd like to show you some metamorphoses (that word in the plural is a pain!)....uh, changes with the magic of the edit button!


This


Becomes this

1. I love the aged sepia tones!

This

Now becomes

The fresco option makes my tablescape a painting.

Hannah the hound dog

Now speaks!

And finally, my favorite--Jessie

Goes Warhol!

Isn't this fun? Now, on to a Party Invitation!

Deck the Halls

On Tuesdays December 1-January 5

Starting on Tuesday, December 1, I am going to be hosting a Deck the Halls blog party. Each Tuesday you are invited to share your holiday decorations, those you have visited or those that inspire you. I don't need to give you bloggers examples--you are a creative bunch!! I will post Mr. Linky each Tuesday December 1-January 5. If you think you might be interested in joining in the party, I'd love to hear in your comments. I think it will be lots of fun. I'll keep reminding you so share the word!

Thanks always to our lovely hostess Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Click on her button and visit her and a long list of contributors as she begins another year !