A little R&R

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 It's time for a little R & R.

Rest and Relaxation.

I wish it I would be in the picture above.

But alas.

I've got a little bit of a neck issue, 

so staying away from the computer will be good.

The studio needs to be painted and put back together.

The table needs to be finished.

There is yard maintenance calling our names.

And there will be a few days down time. 

I will miss you more than you miss me.

However, I've got good things in store for September the 10th!

See you then..

 

First Dinner... Tablescape

Don't be thinking anything silly. It's not our first dinner. Or the first one I cooked. It's the first time we have dined on this new table. Our son made it for me. You can read the background HERE.

I hadn't even started sanding the top yet. Boy is that hard! But I am loving working on it. Now to the first dinner.. It's grilled salmon with a dill/caper sauce; buttered new potatoes, steamed broccoli, a fresh lettuce salad, and Dad brought a store bought peanut butter something pie that was really worth the calories!

To play up the rustic-ness of the table.... faux-bamboo flatware, nito chargers, Shell shaped plates and an Ironwood salad bowl. 

 Those Tommy Bahama napkins came back out for this family affair. Also wrapped in a Nito napkin rings.

I love these glasses. Found them in my favorite grocery store, United Market Street. They have the most fabulous gift-ables section.

Our backyard is a bit of a mess. We reseeded where the plumbers had a field day earlier this year. I've got an extra table sitting out there now. And a few other projects are "brewing".

I love all these textures.. I hope you do, too.

Can you believe that two of these succulents are from last year? Yep, didn't drown them. The rest are new this spring. Yep, they aren't being drowned either. And I made that concrete planter. With a wee bit of help from my best friend. Quasi-Instructions HERE.

I don't have many dishes with delicate edges. I raised boys you know. One good clank and you are missing an integral piece of the edge!

The sweet one on the left is the furniture builder, grass seeder, trim remover, tree trimmer, and second in command. The sweet guy on the left puts up with us! So I let him have his bright lights as long as my Mexican stars stay!


Cast:
Nito Chargers & Napkin Rings - Pier One and World Market
Dinner plates - TJ Maxx eons ago
Salad bowls - Ironwood
Wine glasses, hurricanes - local grocery store
Water glasses - Dollar Tree
Flatware - Horchow's
Napkins - Tommy Bahama

Thank you so much for being so loyal and coming to visit. It certainly is a bright spot in my day!
Your kind comments let me know you were here. I'll be joining these weekly fun parties:
Cuisine Kathleen's  Let's Dish
Susan's Tablescape Thursday

See y'all there!

A new table

 I saw this table.

Restoration Hardware.

Pine.

I wanted this table!!

Pricey.

But oooh so lovely.

 So I started looking on line.

And "pinning" tables.

See my Pinterest boards HERE.

  You see how similar all these tables are....

I think there is a theme!!

And this one is outside. 

Just where I needed my table to live.

And a bench or two would be nice, too.

This sweet table was in Country Living magazine.

Can you believe this table is "home-made"?

Pattern is available HERE FROM Ana White.

But of course, you know this.... I had a modification, or two. tee heee

Ten feet long.

Rustic.

But Cedar instead of pine.

And way, way less less pricey.

 With bigger overhangs on the ends and no cross piece on the ends.

I love the chunky legs!!

Didn't he do a great job.

I know I'm partial, but hey, that's what Momma's do!

Five hours of work.

Less than 1/10th the cost. 

Of course I'm sanding now.

And then to decide which sealant to put on.

Cedar? Clear? Or a Gray stain?

Well back to the belt sander....

Sunday Sunflowers

Thank you so much for dropping in! You know that were it not for you, I wouldn't be doing this. So I'm honored and say thank you!!

Sunday night dinner. Just family. And sunflowers at the market. Braised pork tenderloins with sage on the stove. Recipe HERE. Gnocchi. English peas. A fresh garden salad. And sopapilla cheesecake for dessert. I'll post that easy-peasy recipe soon. You will love it!!

Tip: Many times a color will unite the whole table. However, don't forget to add a bit of relief to the eyes. I did that with the white dinner plates.

 

I really do not get on a ladder for these shots. Raise my arms and camera up high and capture the shot. My camera has a vari-angle viewer so I can see what I'm doing (most of the time - ha).

 You can't really see the dessert plate between the salad bowl and the dinner plate, but it really added a bit of green to the dishes. Boy. Do. I. Need. Some. Green. Plates! Oh yeah, My name is Marlis and I am a dishaholic and I'm on the 12 step program. Ha.

Tip: Admitting a problem is one step to overcoming your addiction!

Can you believe these placemats are 36 years old? Really. Yes. Somehow, I've lost one or two. Now that is indeed strange. Yellow bowls from TJ's, my workhorse Wedgwood Windsor, and the most precious Granada dishes. History of these dishes HERE. The rosewood handled brass flatware was a gift from my mother when we were still newlyweds. 

I have fallen in love with all the antique amber pieces I keep finding. Is this a throwback to the harvest gold of the 70's? Oh yeah I had a kitchen with some of those 70's colors.. can you guess the color that went with it? I love the bowl, it's a recent find. As are the covered dishes. The amber hurricanes came from Home Goods in Dallas last year. The wine goblets were from Stein Mart and the tumblers are antique Whitehall. Boy do I wish they were Fostoria, but hey, this way the grands can use these without me thinking twice about it.

Silly me, I didn't raise the blinds. I really do not like blinds. However, that window faces west. I live in West Texas. Do the math, blinds or the house is not much cooler than the triple digit outside temperatures!

I just love the fluted edges of these bowls. It's that texture thing. OOh yeah, it was Sunday. Mr. CJ was home. Which means -  the tv was on.

See the undulating edge of the bowl.. plays nicely with the classic dinner plates. More texture from the tumblers and the placemats. 

Mr. CJ shelled out cash for these napkins on a trip to Fort Worth's Pottery Barn last year. Yep, he feeds my obsession some of the time. Napkin rings from Stein Mart a long time ago. The napkin sets had different patterns in them. Loved that.

I just love Sunflowers. One of my favorite memories of my mom was of her having us stop at the side of the road leaving our cabin in New Mexico and cutting arm fulls of wild sunflowers to bring home. Naturally, I think of her with each sunflower.

Cast:

Vintage - placemats, amber covered dishes, amber bowl

Dinner plates - Wedgwood Windsor

Salad/desserts - Granada

Salad bowls - TJMaxx, they just have a B on the underside

Wine hocks - Stein Mart

Tumblers - Whitehall

Flatware - Rosewood handled flatware from Mom

Hurricanes - Home Goods Dallas

Napkins - Pottery Barn

Napkin rings - Stein Mart

Burlap runner - made by me

Thank you again for coming to visit. I'm delighted to see by your comments that you've been here. I'm partying over at Yvonne's Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits and  Susan's Tablescape Thursday.. c y'all there!

Rewards - what it's all about!

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8

Yes, yes, my greatest reward awaits me in heaven. I know this. I look forward to that day. But let's face it, hard work in our earthly realm needs a just reward! Don't cha think? I do. If I lose 40 lbs then I get my boots. That's it. Self-imposed. And now egads.... public.

Either of these boots will be just reward. The top pair is from Crow's Nest Trading. Love that store. This pair is from Double D Ranchwear. Both favorites.. both loves. Will be a hard choice.
Goal: 40 lbs.
As Corey (Tongue in Cheek) says, eat less move more.
MOVE MORE!!!!
Lose. 40. pounds.

Which pair should I choose?

• "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." - Luke 10:20
• “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:” - Ephesians 1:3
• “And [God] raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” - Ephesians 2:6
• “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:” - Philippians 3:20
• “Because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;” – Colossians 1:5
• “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for his heavenly kingdom. - 2 Timothy 4:18
• “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” - 1 Peter 1:3-4

Rustic Schumann Tablescape

Welcome, welcome.. so glad you are here.

 I set this with you in mind. A bit rustic and a bit elegant. Who says you can't mix china with rustic elements like the grapevine basket or sunflowers?

Even the etched glass wine goblets are not out of place next to the hefty hand blown water glasses.

Once again I used my Schumann Dresden flowers. Still a few dinner plates short of enough... but I'm working on it as fast as they show up on ebay!

There are several different flower combinations available. Love them each, each and every one.

I gathered my lighter sage colored napkins into a fun napkin ring from Pier One.

Tip: For dining, reign in those branches so that they don't poke your dinner guests in the eyes! But isn't it more dramatic for pictures this way?

I pulled out my grapevine basket and used a variety of flowers stuck into a floral brick.
Tip: I keep silver trays, even those from the Dollar Tree, to place under arrangements such as this one. Keeps any water from reaching the table.

Even with the rustic centerpiece, I still pulled out the silver candlesticks, silver and those darling lenox swan salt cellars.

Tip: be sure to have plenty of Spanish moss or spongy moss around to hide the workings if you are are using floral bricks!

Thanks for dropping by! One of these days (after I collect some more plates), Cherry Kay and I are going to have a playdate with our Schumann Dresden dishes and do "sister" tables.. Stay tuned!!

Cast:
Chargers: Pier One
China: Schumann Dresden
Flatware: Old Company Plate Signature
Wine Glass: Libbey Rock Sharpe
Water Glass: Handblown in France, purchased at Cielo in Santa Fe, NM.
Napkins: Rose Trellis in Sage
Napkin Rings: Pier One
Candlesticks: Gorham Chantilly


I'll be joining these parties... I so hope you'll be there, too.  Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish, Yvonne's Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits and  Susan's Tablescape Thursday.. c y'all there!