Sweetladyelaine meets Goose Grove

Today was a fun day!   I asked Arla to come & have lunch with me!

Who is Arla?????
I met her in my shop! She and I were talking one day and I told her that I blog. To make a long story short, she has been a follower of my blog for a long time! She was so excited to meet me and then to find out I lived in her development ....sent her over the moon!

Since I have closed my shop I have wanted her to do a post for me. So in a few days you will see a post about Goose Grove written by Arla!

Arla, loves to cook and made Broccoli & Cheese soup for our lunch. It was so yummy and was a perfect compliment to our salad with baked chicken on top!
I served the soup in my yellow " Sweet Olive Design " bowls. They look like crowns.
The flat plate & salad plate are vintage " Edwin M. Knowles" china. The polka dot placemats are from the Dollar Store a few years ago.

                                                  My hat boxes were our centerpiece.

                        The tablecloth is hand embroidered. I bought it at a flea market some time ago.

                        I wanted to do something a little fancy so I layered bandanas for napkins. I don't think I would buy them again. They shrink in all the wrong places after washing them.

 I heard so much about Savers from other bloggers. When I heard they were coming to our area, I was so excited! The day they opened..........I was there!  Last week, I  picked up this deviled eggs dish. I can't believe I never bought a dish for deviled eggs!

 

                                              A colorful salad was served in a Hall's casserole dish.
                                                                The pattern is Rose White.
                                               The casserole was given to me by my Aunt Emily.

                                My salt & pepper shakers were bought in an antique store in  Alton, IL
I love pink & roses, so anything I see I have to buy! lol Are you like that with certain colors?

 

I am using  this shell dish for dressing, in remembrance of my mother in love.

 

I had so much fun talking to Arla and watching her post a draft to my site. I had trouble copying  & pasting her email . So, she volunteered to come over and do it all on her computer.

                                                             A big THANK YOU to Arla!

                                       Oh, I almost forgot STRAWBERRIES for dessert!

A Mary Engelbreit dish I found at a yard sale for $1.00!!!

 

I hope you enjoyed a peek at our lunch....we certainly had a good time. I am so excited for you to see Goose Grove.

Thank you for stopping by...Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you! I am sure Arla would too!
I am joining:

Between Naps on the Porch
http://betweennapsontheporch.net/dining-in-a-garden-of-lilacs-and-wisteria/

Let's Dish
http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Blessings My Friend,

Remembering the Reason........

We celebrate Memorial Day to remember all men & women who are serving and who have served in our military.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. It was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. It was first observed on May 30, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union & Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. May 30th was chosen because flowers would be in bloom

My tablescape is one small way we will celebrate our freedom this weekend.

I used my cobalt blue glass chargers. I bought them in a thrift store called "Something Special" in Texas. It supports domestic violence, rape & abused women. The white plates were used in my last post. The salad plate is Ralph Lauren "Hampton's Flag. "  My everyday flatware is Paul Revere.

 

The tablecloth, I made years ago for our old wooden picnic table!

I even forgot I had it.

       I went junkin' last Friday and bought this cute runner for $.50 and the darling Trio of Flameless Candles for $2.00! The vases of roses I had taken from the bathroom & bedroom.

                      This was a terrific find a few weeks ago at Goodwill for $3.00. I hope you can see it is a pale yellow and graduates to blue. So cool!

         These are my favorite wine glasses .....my cousin who has since passed, gave them to me.
                          They are priceless! Memories....isn't that what life is...making memories!

                                           Candles & a little bling just set the mood for me.
                                                I tend to use them a lot as centerpieces.

Thanks for visiting me. I hope you and yours have a great Memorial Weekend with those you love. Mr. Sweetladyelaine and I will be spending Monday dinner with some friends. I am missing my family but I know God is watching over them for me.

                          Pray for our President, Country & Military Families this week.
                              I often forget, so I will be making a special effort this week!

I will be joining:

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch
http://betweennapsontheporch.net/memorial-day-4th-of-july-and-beach-themed-tablescapes/
Let's Dish at Kathleen Cuisine
http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/2013/05/memorial-day-challenge-lets-dish-63.html
Seasonal Sundays
http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/
Blessings My Friend,

                      

                                                        God Bless America

                             While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
                              Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free.
                              Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
                             As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer:

                            God bless America, land that I love,
                            Stand beside her and guide her
                            Through the night with a light from above.
                            From the mountains, to the prairies,
                            To the oceans white with foam,
                            God bless America,
                            My home sweet home.

                                   Irving berlin

Butterflies & Flowers

The last two weeks for me have been crazy! I still am not Claritin D clear...lol. I went back to the doctors on Monday and still have an ear infection. I have not been able to hear out of my left ear for over a month now. It is getting very frustrating. Mr. Sweetladyelaine has been very patient, but soon he will find me a hearing aid of some sort! I won't even let myself go there....lol
I know all over the USA the weather isn't cooperating. If you are like me, I am freezing one day and the next day I am complaining I am wearing too many clothes! I am definitely a summer girl!  And nothing says summer like white! My inspiration this week comes from my white dishes and roses from Mother's Day!

This is not the table I started  to set this week. Have you ever done that? I was hoping to use another set of dishes but I couldn't put it together so that it satisfied me. I have to think on that one a little longer.
I hope you like my tablescape this week......
I love the little square plates on top. I mixed it up a little on this table. I used the same black & silver placemats but used red chargers and silver trays as chargers. 

 

You can see the white plate has a fold effect on the rim.

 

 I have used the yellow plates many times before. I have a place setting of four. They are made by "Sweet Olive Designs" and the pattern is the Fancy Scroll Collection by Janet Adams.

The square plates are all Nature's Journey by Marjolein Bastin. This one is called Poppy Black.

This one is called Monarch.......

This is Triumph Tulip......

A close up of Swallowtail......

I didn't like the red charger with the pink tulip. So I decided to use the red chargers for the butterflies. And the silver tray chargers for the flowered plates.

and the silver tray charger......What do you think?

I found I love to buy my glasses at Tuesday Morning. I bought these in Texas a year ago. They came in green & red too! I wish I had bought the red too.....Oh my afterthoughts!

Nothing says elegance like silver. I use it all the time!  It's just part of who I am. The salt & pepper came from my store. The butter dish I received as a present over thirty years ago. It's my bling!!!!!

 

 My six crystal votives set the mood.

The roses on the table are from my husband for Mother's Day. The past few years I have let the holidays slip by for whatever reason.  This year, we both think we need to celebrate them, again, since we are so far away from our family. I guess we need to make memories with each other. Awwwww.........


Thank you for visiting me. Please leave a message so I know you stopped by and I can come & visit you. I love seeing all your tablescapes, make overs, new creations and what you have been up too!

I will be joining:

Tablescape Thursday
http://betweennapsontheporch.net/warm-weather-dining-on-the-porch/

Let's Dish
http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/



Blessings My Friend,

Have you ever had a day when you planned it out in your head and then something happened and it all changed??????
Today was that day!

My husband left for an interview in Alabama this morning. With him gone, I thought it was the perfect day to wash the kitchen floor, clean the hardwood floors and do some laundry. Well, I washed the kitchen floor and decided to pray. I was praying in the morning, but with Mr. Sweetladyelaine home, I pray whenever I have time. 

 Today I  started out my prayer time with God's Way by Charles Stanley. Today the  scripture was Isaiah 55:9......
                                  
                                            "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
                                              so are my ways higher than your ways
                                               and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Charles Stanley said something like this...
Our earthly wisdom is a accustomed to everything being explained, rationalized or proven by science. There are things we will never be able to prove scientifically about God. Science can never prove what causes a person to fall in love. It can never prove what happens to a person after death.  None of the worlds information can answer those questions and nothing the world knows is going to be useful in eternity. The wisdom of this world will not carry a person from this life into the next.

I prayed for my husband, family, friends and myself. Then stopped.

I was a little confused why God was showing me this verse. I sat there quite a long time trying to hear the small voice I am so used to hearing......I was wondering how this fit with what I had just prayed. 

I know that God is larger than I can ever fathom. MUCH LARGER! I know that His timing is the perfect timing. I know that His thinking is very different from mine. I know He is God. I know it is according to His will not mine. I know He is in control of the universe. I know He sits on the throne. I know that I know......He loves me!

I thought back to what I prayed........then I heard that small voice tell me.....I got your back!
Can you imagine....I got your back!
He is way ahead of me. He has a plan, maybe not my plan...but a plan none the less. He has my back. He has my heart in the palm of His hand. He is faithful even when I am not. He never leaves me. He is my rock, my strength, my comforter and my redeemer. He listens and does repeat it to others! I can call on Him in the middle of the night! I have to admit I let out a sigh of relief!

He promised. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you" (John 15:7). 

I see Him work in my life everyday. He is alive, bigger than life! I only have to look to Him and all my needs will be met. He doesn't promise a rose garden on earth but eternal life praising Him.

I will confess there have been many times in my life I have done nothing but cry out His name, Jesus! There have been times that's all I could do between sobs! You know what, He heard me! He changed my circumstances.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

So My Friend....
 "if you accept Jesus' words and store up his commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry loud for understanding and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God!" (Proverbs 2:2).

Blessings My Friend,

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Today my friend, Judy & I went to Swansea Farmer's Market. It is in its fifth season in front of Rural King on N. Illinois Street in Illinois. I was very excited to go because I had wanted to go last year but I had to work. It seems my shop kept me from doing alot! I wanted to check out the produce and prices.

When we first got there everyone was looking up at the sky...Of course, we had no idea why. We found out later they had let go some pigeons .....I'm still not sure why.

They were selling soaps. I had met this lady when she & her husband had visited my Consignment Shop.

               They had a tent with Jewelry, clothes and baby items.

                                      And a tiny food court.

   We thought it would be bigger but the produce is still growing.
So we wandered over to Rural Kings Outdoor Flower Garden.

     The flowers were so beautiful I had to take pictures.
     I guess since I can't plant any this year;pictures will have to do!

     This is my partner in crime, Judy!

    The flowers were so pretty!
    God's Bounty......

     After we visited the Farmers Market we decided to go to.......

         She has so many wonderful things to look at.....

       Lots of ideas for your garden and porch.
       I love the way the baskets are hanging all over!
       Imagine these hanging inside your front porch........

        or these in your garden.....

      Judy and I kept wandering around & around. 
      I love the cobalt blue pottery!

       I did this one year in Buffalo, New York.

Doesn't this look so inviting.....Love the doors and little sign above.

       How about a rose tree hiding in your garden?

   Hanging baskets were everywhere!
   This place just got my juices flowing! I loved all the ideas I        came home with.....not to mention the blooms were beautiful!
Spring fever has got me going.......

I am hoping that I inspired you to do alot of planting for me!
You see, I have to live through my blogging friends since I am moving soon and can't plant. Sooooooo plant away and then let me know so I can come & visit your blog.



Have a Blooming Day!

Blessings My Friend,


           Help me, Lord, to see your beauty all around me.
 May my gratitude spill over from a cup full of thanks to you.