Memorial Day- Family and Country

Memorial Day  gives us time to reflect

 on loved ones that have gone on before us,  our country  and those who have served in the military. 

  I haven't had the pain of sending one of

my sons off to war and can only imagine how difficult that must be.  

My father served  in Viet Nam

and clearly that was the hardest year in our families lives.   He returned safely but several of  my friends fathers did not and I remember how difficult that was. 

Many have given the ultimate sacrifice so we can  enjoy our freedoms.  I pray especially for their families and that they be honored and remembered today.

I count my blessings and have so much to be thankful for.  We proudly display the stars and stripes and are so grateful to

 live in the land of the free and the home of the brave! 

Graduation Day, Mother's Day and Space Shuttle



 I am originally from Florida but have lived in Oklahoma City for almost 30 years.  A trip home to Florida is always a treat but especially 

because my precious son is graduating from the Baptist College of Florida on May 13th!  His degree is in Contemporary Worship Music with an  

emphasis in ministry.   

He is currently serving as  an Interim Music Minister and we will be able to visit his church
 and spend Mother's Day with

my Mom who also lives in Florida. 

  Ryan is a gifted pianist and vocalist and writes and performs original music in churches in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.  

Saying we are proud is definitely an understatement not just because of his gifts but because of the young man he has become.   

 Congratulations Ryan...counting the days!


We just found out the space shuttle was delayed and may be launching the same week we are there!  Fingers crossed we will get to see it!  


I have much to be thankful for on this Mother's Day..hope yours is special!



Easter Sunday & Peter Cottontail Table

This is a repost from last Easter..hope everyone has a blessed weekend!

Easter is such a special day to me.   We worship at our church and then spend the day with my sons.  My guys are usually watching golf while I'm in the kitchen finishing preparations for a special meal.  Like so many of you,  I have always loved setting a pretty table for the holidays long before "tablescaping" was a word.   

 My friend gave me a truly special gift just in time for my Easter tablescape.        

 She knows I enjoy tablescapes and collecting dishes and she generously gave me this beautiful Fitz and Floyd tea set that belonged to her mother.  Such a precious gift and I just love it!!  The black and white rabbit and the carrot handle are so unique. 

Thanks so much Linda!!  

  I already had cabbage leaf plates and placemats in my collection...so I couldn't wait to create a special tablescape with these beautiful pieces.

This is my kitchen breakfast table and a preview of  the tablescape I am planning for our Easter dinner in the dining room. 

I layered a simple white Pier One dinner plate with my favorite green majolica.  I finished with  the carrot sugar bowl from the tea set just for fun.   

The set also included a cake plate with three little bunnies surronding a large cabbage leaf.  Such a cute piece and a perfect plate for an Easter carrot cake.  

Until the cake is done...I put out some carrots for my new little friends.

I love conservatories and greenhouses...this miniature version was on clearance for $20 and I couldn't resist.  The dragonfly latch is so pretty.

I filled it with a spring bird's nest, a vintage bunny from GW  and teacup filled with a candle. 

Hope your Easter Day is blessed and you spend it with people you love! 

More pictures of my dining room table :

I'm linking with
Beverly's Pink Saturday
The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays
and
Chari's Sunday Favorites

Spring Bloomers

Spring is here and I'm fast at work trying to get my yard cleaned up and replanted with annuals.  A few things have bloomed in my yard but at this time most of the color is from newly planted annuals.

Red petunias, sweet alyssum and purple cineraria

I have two of  these french wire flower box/baskets on a brick wall outside my kitchen window.   I can enjoy the colors of purple cineraria,  red petunias and sweet alyssum as I wash dishes! 

This flower box is on my patio and  filled with white margueritie daisies, purple wave petunias and a red geranium for a blast of color.   The petunias smell wonderful in the evening as we enjoy sitting on the patio!

A few other bloomers in my garden right now include:

Bridal veil spirea...covered in arching

 branches  full of white flowers.

'Lady in Red' salvia...a favorite of mine and the hummingbirds...blooms are summer long.

Red bud tree just finishing it's spring show.

Japanese Snowball Bush with it's lime green to white large flowers...like an early hydrangea...I love this plant in Spring!

I am so happy my Spanish lavender survived the harsh winter and is almost in full bloom. 

One of my girlfriend's birthday was last week and I arranged a bouquet of  flowers.   Some of her favorite colors are lime green and purple so I only included those colors in the arrangement with a touch of white.

I started with limelight hydrangeas as the base then added some sweet white daises.  For accent the spider mums in lime green are perfect.   Asiatic lilies are so pretty in any arrangement and these had that touch of lime green color.  I added  a stem of Bells of Ireland as well.  Lastly for height, nothing is a

 pretty as blue delphiniums and a few

branches of curly willow!

Hopefully next week I'll have more of my garden to share..right now we are having a fierce windstorm...
that's Oklahoma for ya!

I'm linking with

Tootsie's Flaunt Your Flowers Friday
Laurie's Favorite Things Saturday
Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday

Hope you have a great weekend out in your garden! 

English Briar Rose Table

I love pretty dishes and when I'm out bargain shopping I can't resist a great deal.   I'm usually attracted to floral patterns or interesting edges and borders around the plates and
 spotted these lovely English 

luncheon/salad plates in Goodwill.  I paid $3  for 4 plates..I thought they were so pretty and I'd be able to combine them with other dishes in my collection.

I looked up the pattern on the internet and found they were Churchill 'Briar Rose' china from Staffordshire England.

A few months later while shopping with a friend in an antique store in another town I found what seemed to be the rest of the set!  I was delighted as the dealer had it placed in a 50% off room because it was incomplete...and then gave me an additional discount because I was the only one who had been interested.   I must say I almost did a happy dance in the store!  

 In the end I had 5 cups and saucers, 5 dinner plates and four luncheon/salad plates all for
less than $ 25!!

The scalloped edges are so pretty and go nicely with my placemats which also are scalloped.  The colors are echoed and the flowers stamens even match! 

 I love when that happens!

Pink, yellow and lime green just make a soft and sweet color combination for a spring tea table.  The damask tablecloth was my mother-in-law's and is a peachy pink color.  It is a beautiful tablecloth when spread out on a larger table as well.

This teapot was also purchased in the same antique store although it is brand new.  I just love the shape and of course it will coordinate with almost any table setting.  It reminds me of  Mrs. Potts from 'Beauty and the Beast'.   I am using my flower petaled cake stand again for this table since the colors are perfect.   This little stand is definitely one of my favorite pieces in my

collection and was purchased in a

little store in Wimberly, Texas.  

The little egg cups were a bargain find at Tuesday morning several years ago.  I used the little pink rose dishes I bought for $1 at GW as saucers.

The napkins are from my Mom's linen collection and they are monogrammed with my maiden name initial and they also have a scalloped edge.  The napkin rings were another thrift store find and were only $1.  I love the sweet little birds perched on top of the crystal rings.  

The pink floral pitcher was another Goodwill  find and I like using it as a flower vase.

Setting a spring table was a nice reminder of the warm days ahead and roses that will soon be blooming in the garden.  The Oklahoma wind kept me in the house today...so I just played with dishes!

I'm linking with
Marty's Tabletop Tuesdays

Lady Katherine's Tea Time Tuesday

Linda's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Martha's Tea Cup Tuesday

Susan's Tablescape Thursday

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday

Beverly's Pink Saturday

Laurie's Favorite Things

The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday
and
Cielo's Show off your Cottage Monday