Time to Celebrate!!!!!

He did it! Worked 40+ hours per week while attending school four nights a week for 22 months. It was a long haul and he was perpetually exhausted, but not only did he do it, he earned the gold medal for having the highest grade point average in his class! I'm so proud of that boy. Isn't he a cutie?

Here he is with his girlfriend, Amanda.

And his proud mama and grandmother.

How About a Little Paint and Party?

There is a new business in town.... It's called Paint and Party. My teachers' sorority held our meeting there last week. With the Saints Super Bowl win last Sunday, it was only fitting that we chose a fleur de lis design. That's me on the back row, fifth from the left. It's amazing how a little wine gets the creativity flowing, you know? It was a welcome reprieve from the week's stresses and strains. I learned on Wednesday that my mortgage refinance will be delayed (once again). I've been hanging on, nickeling and diming it for six months now and the thought of at least two more months of the same is really really discouraging. There always seems to be more month than money. LOL

Enough whining. Hope everyone enjoys their long holiday weekend!

Great Things Come in Small Packages

There's not a thing better for a dreary rainy winter day than a good craft project! My sweet niece Amy is expecting a baby girl in May and I'll be helping host a shower at my house in a few weeks. I LOVE welcoming little ones, can I tell ya? Amy is my brother's only child and he and my sis-in-law are tickled pink with the news. My mother was here last week and she and I made a diaper cake to use as a centerpiece for the refreshment table. My sweet mother is 88 years old and has a lot of time on her hands so I put her to work. We drank a little wine and rolled diapers and had a ball.... I wanted to use good quality diapers so they wouldn't go to waste. Here's a picture before the decorations went on. The base layer was formed by rubberbanding three rings of rolled diapers around a tall bottle of baby oil. The second layer was more of the same, except just two rings worth. And the top layer is one ring wrapped around the cap of the bottle. I used ribbon that coordinated with the paper goods to tie everything together....

I picked up some soft stuffed toys at the mall, decided to change out some of the ribbon, and added some pink flowers from Michael's....

Isn't this about the sweetest cake you ever saw???? Looks like the sheep on top got into the wine, huh? Need to straighten him out before he topples over....

The pink and blue curly hair bows came from Gymboree. Hope the lil one has hair! I was a bald baby as were my siblings. But when my babies were born, they had full heads of straight black hair. That was a surprise, can I tell you? More news of the shower to come, so stay posted....

Valentine's Day Breakfast

How better to start a special day than with a homecooked breakfast? People who know me know I am DEFINITELY NOT a morning person but hey, special occasions deserve special sacrifices. LOL

Doubleclick on the pics to see the detail. On the menu is French Toast stuffed with cream cheese and bananas, coffee, and mimosas.

Are you getting hungry yet? Aren't my Valentine's Day dishes just adorable? I got them for a song at TJ Maxx just after Christmas... I paired them with the black glass chargers I picked up at Hobby Lobby last summer for $1.59 each, yes you heard me right...

Don't you LOVE my Fleur de Lis magnetic memo board? It was a Christmas gift from my dear friend and office mate Darlene. She got it at The Royal Standard. I got several wonderful gifts from others from that store and I definitely plan to make a trip there soon.....

Here's the recipe for the French toast:

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large loaf French bread, cut into 8 slices

4 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Nonstick cooking spray

Confectioner's sugar

Syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a heavy skillet. Add brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar melts. Add bananas and toss together. Cook until bananas are soft. Cool. Add cream cheese and mash with wooden spoon. Cut a 2-inch long slit in one side of each bread slice, creating a pocket that leaves 3 sides of the bread intact. Divide banana mixture equally among the pockets. In large bowl, add eggs, heavy cream, milk, and cinnamon and whisk well. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Put the bread into the mixture and let soak for three minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the bread and let excess drain off. Spray wire rack with nonstick spray and put rack on a baking sheet. Place bread on the rack and transfer to the oven. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Garnish with confectioner's sugar and syrup.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Three or More Tuesday Estate Sale Bargains

I heard about an estate sale website from Bill over at Affordable Accoutrements some time back and joined right up. Whenever there is an estate sale within the parameters that you set, an e-mail is sent out to you with pictures and details of the sale. Check it out at http://www.estatesales.net/. Here are the treasures I found for a song......

A child's primitive vintage chair...... $20.00...... Won't it look adorable with a little pillow on it?
And a comb, mirror, and brush dressing table set in sterling silver......$15.00..... I have admired these sets at antique shops where they go for much, much more money.

And last but not least, a fine set of 30 miscellaneous cut crystal bowls and coasters..... $10.00... Talk about 3 or more, try 30!!!! Here are a few of them on display in my china cabinet.

A close up shot of some of the pretty crystal bowls. They will be great for fruit or ice cream.

Quite the bargain for ten bucks, don't you think? This may have been my first estate sale but it certainly won't be the last! Happy Three or More Tuesday!!!!

Thanks, Gypsy, for hosting this event!!!

Noble Excellence ..... The Night Before Christmas

It was a memorable Christmas in many ways. My very best friend Kim surprised me with these beautiful Noble Excellence salad plates. There is a story behind them.... Last Christmas we were out shopping together and came across these gorgeous dishes at Dillard's. They were being discontinued and were 1/2 price. I bought Kim a chip and dip set and she bought me the large serving bowl pictured. Later, she decided to purchase the entire set of dishes and ended up driving halfway around the south to find enough place settings. I've envied those dishes ever since and threatened to borrow them for my last tablescape. LOL Well, low and behold, she went on the internet and found these salad plates and ordered them for me! What an awesome Christmas gift. Here I am opening them up..... And here she is, my BFF in the world. She has always been there for me through thick and thin. She is always willing to hear me out. And with a divorce in process, I often need a sounding board. And her husband, he's a real sweetheart as well. He jokingly calls me his girlfriend and teases their daughter that she'd better like me cause if something ever happens to her momma, I'm gonna be the stepmomma. LOL

So now Katie calls me Stepmom. I know, we have a slightly perverted sense of humor down here in Louisiana. Aren't they beautiful dishes?

I adore this pewter fleur de lis dip bowl that was a present from Apryl, my secret santa at work. Thanks, Apryl!

Here's another shot. Doubleclick to view the details....

These apothecary jars were bought last summer at Old Time Pottery. I love their versatility and will be making a trip back to Old Time in a few days. Kim and Callan have invited me down to their condo....

Here's a view of the table from the foyer..... Aren't you proud of me for finally hanging the antique mirror? It's been leaning against the wall for months now. Nothing like a holiday to get me motivated... @<(;-)

Here's one last shot of my beautiful Christmas dishes..... Thank you, Kim. Love ya!!!!

Blogging Changes EVERYTHING

It's amazing how blogging can inspire one to try new things....

In the last year, I've learned about the joys of garage saling and decorating. Not the old fashioned kind of decorating that puts a major dent in the checkbook..... but the new decorating-on-a-dime kind. My garland was looking pretty puny so I decided to kick it up a notch and here is the result..... Don't forget to doubleclick!!!! I added some red plastic grapes I bought a couple of years ago at Tuesday Morning for $1.00 a bunch and some shiny red balls from Wally World... Decorating doesn't have to cost a bundle! What do you think???

Two and 1/2 days of school remaining til Christmas vacation........ ;-)