I'm Feeling Blue.....

I have been cold since we have moved to Illinois from Texas so I decided today would be another soup day!
 I have making different kinds of soup every week.....such a wonderful comfort food!

Today I made chicken soup and decided to set the table for Mr. Sweetladyelaine & I in dishes I  never used. I bought the flat printed bread/salad dishes on sale at Pier One and the gold solid colored dishes & chargers at Goodwill. The little cobalt blue round dishes (salad bowls) & matching salad bowl were given to me by my mom.  The napkins are from Walmart at Thanksgiving time.
 The glasses are Yorktowne, made by  Pfaltzgraff.

My centerpiece is a pitcher & flowers.
I bought the pitcher in my hometown, Schenectady, New York!

I set the table every night for Mr. Sweetladyelaine & I like this. I think eating at the table all together is something my parents instilled in me and I wanted to pass that along to my daughter. Sitting down to a  family meal is very important. Growing up we had to be home for dinner at 6:00 or else.   It was the only time we had to visit with my dad because he worked two jobs. We didn't always talk, we were together! I do feel that it gives a child a sense of belonging. I use to set the table and my brother cleared. Helping my mom was a natural part of growing up. .We were taught the proper way to set a table.While we were helping, my mom would ask us our spelling words, multiplication tables or about our day. We got two things done at once! We talked! I wonder how much of this goes on in homes today?
Do you eat all together? Did you help your mom and do your children help you ?

My mom always made a green salad for dinner. I guess being Italian it seems bare without it.

Soups on.......

No meal would be complete without homemade bread.

I have had fun sharing with you today.

 I do miss blogging.....

I have been so busy unpacking and then my computer's hard drive decided it was going to start to die!

 I had to go out and search for another one.

I hope to be sharing a little bit of my new home soon. I finally have the living room furniture in place, after two changes.

The kitchen still has dishes & glasses etc. all over. Did I tell you I had 17 dish barrels to unpack?

Later this week I will be sharing where I am hiding it all!

I have a few more things to put away then I will take pictures.

I am getting it done.............just at a snails pace!

Thanks for stopping by....you have been patient listening to me rattle on & on! lol

Have a great week!

I am joining:

 Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Share Your Creations at Kristen's Creations

Vintage Thingy Thursday

Just click their  buttons on my sidebar to visit them! Have fun!

Blessings My Friend,

Computer on the Blink!

Dear Friends,
I have not been posting because my computer is acting up......
My new one should arrive this weekend!
Hope this finds you healthy and happy.....

Blessings My Friend,
Sweetladyelaine

For The Love of My Life

Hi Everyone,
Every year I make a special dinner for the love of my life on Valentine's Day. This year is no exception! I prepare by setting a beautiful table. Then I decide what to make Mr. Sweetladyelaine. This year I made Shrimp Alfredo, homemade bread, a lovely green salad and our favorite, White Zinfandel to drink!
I didn't take pictures of the food but I did remember to take the table! Lucky you!

My china was bought at the Goodwill in Buffalo, NY. I really like them and would like more! I only have a place setting for two. They are made by  Haviland and the pattern is Desert Rose.

The clear dishes with three roses in the middle are from the Dollar Store years ago. I don't use them very often.

When I saw the wine glasses at Goodwill I had to have them. I loved their shape! I never looked up the pattern. They make me think of Princess House crystal.

Candlesticks are me. I can use as many as ten on the table at one time! The glow is beautiful...but you won't see that here because I still haven't unpacked the zip lighter! lol
Yes, I am STILL unpacking! I know you know this, but you will finally hear me say " I have way too much stuff "!

                                 I LOVE MY STUFF!!!!!!

Dessert.....Cupcakes...everyone's favorite this year!

I had made twenty-four and decided to send some to work with Mr. Sweetladyelaine. I did not frost them in pink....Could you imagine the teasing he would have endured? I made chocolate frosting and coconut pecan for those. He did call me and said they were gone immediately.

 Mr. Sweetladyelaine never forgets to send me flowers on Valentine's Day!

Thank you for stopping by...I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day.
I had fun sharing my table with you.


Until you come back....
 Remember, God "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to His power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).

I pray "the God of hope fills you with all the joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

I will be joining Susan at BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday.....Please stop by and see all the beautiful tablescapes and get fabulous ideas for your own tables!

Blessings My Friend,

Sweetladyelaine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Blessings My Friends,

Sweetladyelaine

On a Roll

I have to admit I am tired......I went grocery shopping today at Walmart. It took me quite awhile but I think I got everything. When you know your moving you pair down to the necessities in your refrigerator.  After our closing, we were staying  in the hotel that my husband lived in for 97 days. We traveled for two days to Illinois with the zoo. I just brought their chicken all prepared, drinks and a few snacks. So the last two times I went to the market, I have been re buying all the condiments and other stuff I needed. Today was no different! You know the scenario buy, load it in the car, drive home and unpack the bags  and put it all away.......Did I stop there????? NO!! Tired as I am......
I went on!
Mr. Sweetladyelaine has a terrible cold and so I decided to make him some homemade chicken soup. For some reason I love cutting up the onions, carrots, celery and green beans. I cut the chicken too. And put that all on the stove to simmer...at the last few minutes I thre in some egg noodles!
Did I stop there? NO!!!

 I started to think Hmm... homemade bread would be wonderful. So I dragged out the bread flour, yeast, water and salt and made the dough. It is rising right now! Did I stop there????? NO!!!!

I got out the extra bread and started to shred it in the pan and soon I was beating milk, eggs, cinnamon and sugar. Let it be known I did not forget the raisins!
I made bread pudding and stuck that in the oven for an hour.

I don't have a specific recipe for bread pudding. I use a 9x13x 3 pan. butter it and fill it with broken pieces of bread ( any kind, new, old, buns, bagels, English muffins etc.) to the top. I then beat 1 egg for every 1 cup of milk.....a 9x13 inch pan takes 6 cups of milk and 6 eggs. I put in about 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Pour it all over the bread. Push the bread down so it all gets wet with the mixture. Add 1 cup of raisins sprinkling them all over the top .....mix them in a little. Sprinkle more cinnamon & sugar on the top. Preheat the  oven to 375 degrees and cook for 1 hour. It should be firm and brown when it is ready. Sometimes I have to leave it in a little longer depending on how much I fill up the pan.

If you remember the 1 egg to every cup of milk, you can adjust the rest to your liking! That's what I do. I serve it warm with whipped creme on top.
It is great for large crowds and winter mornings! I warm it up for breakfast! It is just the comfort food I need to get me going.

Here is the soup in our bowls and ready to eat......

I LOVE crusty bread!

Mr. Sweetladyelaine  appreciated the soup & bread....it was good for his cold. I am glad I took the time and made my husband feel loved. Have you done something special for your Hubby this week? If you haven't, take the time one day this week and do something special for him no matter how small. He will smile!  It tells them know we are thinking about them. They like that!

Have a great week and I will see you soon!

 Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

 I love hearing from you!

Blessings My Friend,

Among the Rubble

Hi Everyone,
I just realized it was Wednesday and I do not have a table set. Soooo.......I am using my dinner table!

My husband requested split pea soup and homemade bread. He does not eat salad to often but I do, so  I made a green salad. I tried a new recipe for bread and I am not sold! It seemed alot of work for such a little bit of bread. I think I will stick to an old recipe. I found this one on Rustico Cooking under bread. It is a crusty Italian bread. It should have made three loaves but I made two. I did not have bread flour and I used all purpose so that may be the difference. We will wait until the taste test.

The oval  flat dishes were given to me by Shelly,my wonderful next door neighbor when I lived in Buffalo, NY. They are made by Sango and the pattern is Americana Cafe 98. I just love them......I do have the bowls that match but they are not unpacked yet.



The little casserole dishes just say "Home" on the bottom. I bought them at a store in Houston,Texas.
The bread board I bought at a flea market years ago and my husband refinished it and wrote "I Love you" on it! It is Special.....I do not cut on it. I mainly use it as a hot plate.

The only thing I could find to use as a centerpiece was the hurricane candle. lol Packing has been slow the last few days. I realized I have to cook, clean up, take care of the dogs  & wash clothes while I am unpacking. lol
I forgot about all those things! The joy of moving!

Salt & pepper shakers were my mother in loves. The little red bowl I made.....

I love these glasses...they are from Tuesday Morning, after Christmas 1/2 price sale!

My yummie salad...forgot to take a picture of our full bowls. Oh well, you will have to use your imagination!

So happy you stopped by...My little blue bird says "Thank you!"

As always, it has been my pleasure to share my tablescape with you. Thank you for visiting. Please leave a comment as I thrive on comments while I am unpacking. thinking of you all. I am joining Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch! Be sure to stop by and see all the beautiful ideas.....



Blessings My Friend,

A Little Hint

When my friend Ruby and I went to Thomball, Texas shopping,we visited a row of antique stores that were off the main street. We saw lots of beautiful things! I bought a feather Christmas tree that I had hoped to use for a Valentine tablescape. I have not unpacked it as of yet.  We were milling around and one section caught our eye...the store owner had covered her shelves in lace. When we looked closer, we realized that the lace was vinyl! We thought her shelves looked very pretty! What a great idea! I tucked it away in my mind for a future project.  After talking about the shelves we had realized we saw the material in one of our favorite shops. We just couldn't remember where.

Anyway, I moved to Illinois. I had to put paper in my kitchen cabinets and decided to go find this vinyl lace for my new cabinets. But where do I look to find it? I checked Hobby Lobby and  a few other stores until I found it at Jo Ann's.It is a tablecloth that you purchase by the yard.  I bought 6 yards, I think.

Mr. Sweetladyelaine said he would help me....I thought maybe he thought I couldn't  do a good job but soon realized my cabinets were so high that I can only reach the first shelf! I needed a step stool to reach the rest and I didn't have one. He did it all! lol Here he is clowning around!

I love the idea that you can wash it when you want to clean out your drawers. It looks really pretty when you open the drawers and cabinets. I am so glad I used it.

 It was a bit pricey at $6.99 a yard. I wonder if  tablecloths would work? I will file that away for future reference.

It looks really nice inside the cabinets.

Here you can see it laid out. Mr. Sweetladyelaine put it on cardboard, measured and used a box cutter to cut it.

You can see the pattern better in this photo. If you are afraid it will move in your cabinets, you can use double sided tape to hold it secure. I have not had a problem.

I think it will last longer than paper. I am tired of replacing the paper. I used wallpaper in my drawers in the bathrooms. I do not stick it to the bottom, though. It is too hard to get it up and it may ruin the wood. I also have used wrapping paper in my dresser drawers.

Do you have any other suggestions? I do not want the corners to curl. I want to be able to wipe the drawers/cabinets out. I want durable and pretty! If you have any hints please let me know.....

By the way....I LOVE MY NEW HOME!!!!! I can't wait until I find my special spot! Do you have one in your home? I can't wait to share mine with you!

Thanks for stopping by.....as always make Jesus number 1 in your life!

Blessings My Friend,

Are you fighting with the adversary today?  Are Satan, the world, and the flesh all against you?  Do not be discouraged nor dismayed.  Fight on!  For God Himself is with you.  Jehovah Nissi is your banner, and Jehovah Rophi is the healer of your wounds.  Do not fear, you will overcome, for who can defeat Omnipotence? Fight on, "looking to Jesus"; ²  and although the conflict is long and tough, the victory will be sweet, and the promised reward will be glorious.

From strength to strength go on;
Wrestle, and fight, and pray,
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well-fought day.