The HOME GIRL!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY - Simple Father's Day Tablescape

Happy Tuesday, Y'all!!!

I hope you're off to a great start to your week!

For today's TABLESCAPE TUESDAY, I wanted to share our simple Father's Day table that we had for this past Sunday Family Dinner.

In case you happen to be wondering.....I'd love to take a short minute to explain what our "Sunday Family Dinners" are all about for those of you who are seeing my blog for the first time...If you've read this before, feel free to skip this part...
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We started a new family tradition in January 2013 (a New Years' Resolution) that I hope continues even after the kids are grown.

"SUNDAY FAMILY DINNERS!"

We pretty much have dinner together as a family most nights, but on Sundays, we have a special dinner in the dining room as opposed to the kitchen table, where we normally eat.

I get out the fine china and candles and make a special meal and so far, it has been something we look forward to each week.

Then once a month, we invite some of our extended family to join us for a Sunday family dinner.

It's also been giving me a chance to do lots of new TABLESCAPES..haha!

To see my previous tablescapes from other Sunday Family Dinners, you can click here:

Sunday Family Dinner #1 - Red and Blue Toile
S.F.D.#2 - Black, White and Silver
S.F.D.#3 - Winter Woods With White
S.F.D.#4 - The "Royal Treatment"
S.F.D.#5 - Super Bowl Table
S.F.D. #6 - Mardi Gras Table
S.F.D. #7 - Spring is Springing Up
S.F.D. #8 - "Apple of My Eye"
S.F.D. #9 - "Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss"
S.F.D. #10 - The "KNego" Tablescape (Designed by my 9 year old son)
S.F.D. #11 - The St. Patrick's Day Tablescape
S.F.D. #12 - Last-Minute Lavender Tablescape
S.F.D. #13 - 3 Easter Tables
S.F.D. #14 - Wrapped In Love Tablescape
S.F.D. #15 - Wrapped Up in Family Tablescape
S.F.D. #16 - Orange You Ready for a Picnic Tablescape
S.F.D. #17 - Barbies and the Pink Shoes (Designed by my 6 year old daughter)
S.F.D. #18 - Simply Nautical but Nice Tablescape
S.F.D. #19 - Memorial Day Americana Table
S.F.D. #20 - Froggie Went a' Courtin' Tablescape

Because I'm on a budget but love to switch up my decor for the various tablescapes each week, I'm decorating my tables almost entirely on BARGAINS....finds from the Dollar Stores, Thrift Stores, or regular stores with sales or clearance items. _________________________
My husband is not a super-fancy guy...he likes things a little more plain and simple. Because of this, I wanted to create a slightly more simplified, slightly more masculine tablescape for him for Father's Day.

The dinner turned out to be EXTRA simple because my son ended up getting sick, so it was a very easygoing simple dinner for the rest of us, since the whole family couldn't be at the table for this Sunday Family Dinner. =(

I had found this nice tablecloth at Ross, I believe, a while back, and thought it would be great with the colors already in our living room, which is adjacent to the dining room....the turquoise and brown theme.

Since the tablecloth has a "busy" pattern on it, I decided to keep the décor on the table more simple.

For the centerpiece, I took this long wire bowl thing I found at Goodwill a while back. Added some potpourri and some turquoise ornaments and off-white candles to it.

On both sides of that centerpiece are some small glass tealight candle holders and some wooden pillar candleholders with candles.

The plate breakdown is as follows:
Turquoise charger from Michaels
White "canvas plate" from Dollar Tree
Blue, beige and white salad plates from Goodwill
Beige Pier 1 Bowls from my church's local thrift store.
Napkins were from Ross AGES ago
Napkin rings were an e-bay purchase.
I used the basic wine/water glasses from Dollar Tree

Thanks so much for joining me for another TABLESCAPE TUESDAY! Hope you have a great day!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA Link Party #14 with Features!

Hola Amigos!!!

I hope you have been having a stellar week! Are you ready for the weekend??? I am!!!

I'm also ready for a super FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA!!! How about you???

But first...some great features!!!

Denise from Second Time Around Finds shares with some of her gorgeous treasures!

As a fellow thrift shopper, I always enjoy seeing the bargains people find at their local thrift stores, etc.

Alexis from Running Away? I'll Help You Pack shared her adorable graduation cap cupcakes!

These are too cute!!!

Sarah from Hyacinths for the Soul shared such a delicious looking Casual Mexican Buffet...

I'm getting hungry just looking at this beautiful buffet!

Congratulations to all who were featured! If you were featured, feel free to grab a button below! I'm also putting up my general Fiesta button in case you'd like to add that.

Here's the Button if you were featured!

And here's the code for that button....

This one below is the general Fiesta Button

Here's the code for the general button....

Hope those work! Thanks again!

And now...let's Party!!!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY! Recipe for Easy Lasagna Soup!

Hey all!

Well, it's Wednesday! I can't believe how quickly this month is flying!   I can't believe we're pretty much halfway through the year!!!

My kids have been at summer camp this week, (which is like a nice little summer vacation for a homeschool mama! haha) which has prompted me to make some yummy meals for when they get home hungry from their busy, fun days!

Last night, I decided to make another family favorite that we tried at a Sunday Family Dinner a few months ago, and it went over very well.   It's called LASAGNA SOUP...and BOY, it sure was yummy!!!

I found a recipe for Lasagna Soup on Pinterest, but it was a little too complicated for me, so I SIMPLIFIED...and it still turned out great!!!   Here is the original recipe that I found, though, if you have the extra time.   =D

Here's what I used...

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 32 oz. container chicken broth (I actually used 4 cups of water and 4 bullion cubes...it's cheaper and we like the flavor better than regular chicken broth)
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp. salt (you don't really need this if you're using the bullion and water)

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

6 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

Garlic powder, Minced Onion and Italian seasoning to taste
(I probably used 2 tbsp. garlic powder, 3 tbsp. minced onion, and 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning, but I can't be sure)

Brown your ground beef with the garlic powder, minced onion and Italian seasoning in some olive oil.

Then add the chicken broth, salt, cayenne pepper and crushed tomatoes and stir. Bring it to a boil and then turn the heat down and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

After that, you turn the heat back up and get your soup boiling again...then add your 6 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces.

Let that cook for another 10-15 minutes.

If the soup is looking too thin (it should thicken after you put the lasagna noodles in there to cook.) you can add a mixture of 1tbsp cornstarch and 1tbsp water, and that will thicken it up a bit for you. I did need to use this to make mine a little thicker, although I'm sure it would have been fine without it.

That's it....serve it up, add some parmesean and/or mozzarella cheese, get out some garlic bread and enjoy!!

This was a big hit with my family. Both my son and daughter loved it, and so did my husband. This fed a hungry family of 4, and allowed us to have seconds as well. It's a neat recipe and not too tough to make!

Thanks again for joining me for another WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY! Hope to see you again soon!

This post is being added to...

On the Menu Monday

Monday, June 10, 2013

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY! "Froggie Went a' Courtin' Tablescape"

Hi all!

I hope you had a great weekend! Mine was fairly uneventful...no talking for me because I've been trying to get my voice back after being sick...ugh! It's been a bummer, but I'm so glad I'm finally coming through it! So often, I take my health for granted. It's not until I'm sick that I realize how blessed I am to have good health most of the time!

For our Sunday Family dinner this week, I wanted to do something fun for the kiddos...with just a small hint of sophistication.

In case you happen to be wondering.....I'd love to take a short minute to explain what our "Sunday Family Dinners" are all about for those of you who are seeing my blog for the first time...If you've read this before, feel free to skip this part...
____________________________________________

We started a new family tradition in January 2013 (a New Years' Resolution) that I hope continues even after the kids are grown.

"SUNDAY FAMILY DINNERS!"

We pretty much have dinner together as a family most nights, but on Sundays, we have a special dinner in the dining room as opposed to the kitchen table, where we normally eat.

I get out the fine china and candles and make a special meal and so far, it has been something we look forward to each week.

Then once a month, we invite some of our extended family to join us for a Sunday family dinner.

It's also been giving me a chance to do lots of new TABLESCAPES..haha!

_________________________

I found some adorable froggie fabric at Wal-Mart recently and thought this would be perfect for a tablescape. I've named this tablescape ....FROGGIE WENT A' COURTIN'!

I did the colors in various shades of white and green. Mostly lime green and off white. On both sides of the centerpiece are my white Ikea pillar candle holders with lime green vases and white flowers. On the sides of those are two candle holders...one is an upside-down wine glass with a flower in it, one is a white small pillar candleholder with a green lantern on top. You can't see it so well in this pic, but you can see it better below.

There are green glass marbles in between the two strips of fabric, wine glasses from Dollar tree and green wine glasses that I found at a garage sale for $1 each.

The centerpiece is this cute froggie I found, which is a lawn ornament I got at Aldi a few weeks ago. He was so cute holding those little flowers!!! I put him on a silver block pedestal.

Here is the plate breakdown for you going from bottom to top...

Froggie Fabric - Walmart,
White round placemat - Dollar Tree,
Lime Green Charger - Michaels,
White Dinner plate - Had forever,
Lime green Salad Plate - Old Time Pottery,
White dessert plate - Goodwill,
Green Bowl - Dollar Tree.
White napkins - Amazon.com
Green bling napkin rings from e-bay.

Thanks so much for joining me for another
Tablescape Tuesday.

I hope you'll come back next week for another tablescape and join me tomorrow where I'll share an easy and delicious recipe in the crock pot!!!

Have a great day!

This post was added to...
Centerpiece Wednesday

Thursday, June 6, 2013

FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA Link Party #13!

Hi All!

It's PARTY TIME!!!

I hope you're ready for some fun this weekend at the FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA!

Sorry, no features tonight, but I will have extras next week...the server has changed for my link party and I'm not sure how to navigate it...sorry guys! Hopefully by next week I will have it figured out!

Now, Let's Party!!!

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Loading InLinkz ...

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY - Recipe for a Light, Summer Dessert - PINEAPPLE ANGEL FOOD CAKE!

Hey all!

Happy Wednesday!

Today I wanted to share a really light, fluffy and YUMMY dessert I found on Pinterest recently and tried out. This pin went to a spam site, so I'm not actually sure where the original recipe came from. The description was in the pin so I just made it according to the directions on the pin itself. The best part about this delicious recipe is that it's SO EASY! I couldn't even believe how easy it was! And the taste was really delicious...especially if you like Pineapple...WHICH I DO! lol

It's a recipe for an easy PINEAPPLE ANGEL FOOD CAKE!

Your ingredients? SIMPLE!

1 Box of Angel Food Cake Mix
1 Can of crushed pineapple (20 oz)

That's it!!! This was so easy, my kiddos helped me make this and I had no worries that the recipe was going to get messed up! haha!

You mix the angel food cake mix and the crushed pineapple in its juices together, and when you do, it fizzes up and is a lot of fun for the kids to watch!

Then pour into a greased glass cake pan (I used a 9 x 13 cake pan) and VOILA! Into the oven for 30 minutes at 350 and you've got a beautiful, light and delicious fruity cake that made a great summertime treat!

I hope you enjoy this recipe if you make it. It couldn't be easier and I just loved it! I will definitely make this again!

It's perfect chilled and topped with some whipped cream or ice cream!

Thanks for joining me today and I hope you'll come on back tomorrow and post your own creativity at 8pm ET for the FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA Link Party! Have a great day!

Monday, June 3, 2013

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY - Elegant tea in Black, White and Hot Pink!

Hey all!

How are things? Here at the Home Girl Household, I'm still recovering from my sinus infection which has had me down for the count for a little over a week now. ugh!

Other than that, all is well! I have a new tablescape to show you...hopefully one you'll find elegant and fascinating! I had this set up for our next ladies tea that I was going to schedule but then I couldn't find time to fit it into the schedule before I had to take it down because we needed the table for a BBQ outside. Oh well, at least I was able to snap a few pictures before it was quickly torn down....haha!

I wanted to create a black, white and hot pink tablescape to create elegance yet femininity...Here's what I came up with...

I have a black tablecloth that I found at a thrift store placed on top of a floor-length round white tablecloth. On top of that I had some alternating dishes to keep things interesting.

Two place settings had silver Walmart Chargers with my French white plates that I've had forever...on top of that, some black salad plates (from Goodwill...I was only able to find 3 though), topped with a black and white polka-dot dessert plate with a cupcake dome on top.

The other two place settings had my white chargers from Old Time Pottery, a black dinner plate from Dollar tree, my French-white salad plate, and topped with the same black and white polka-dot plate and cupcake dome.

The silver teapot that held the lovely hot pink flowers and the matching silver teacups and saucers are from Ross.

I also used a silver pillar candleholder with a white pillar candle, along with a silver taper candleholder with a silver candle. Looking back I think I needed a little something more, but it worked ok.

The Napkins were also alternating in black and white but all with a hot pink bling napkin ring.

Thanks so much for joining me for another Tablescape Tuesday. I hope you'll come on back tomorrow for WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY, where I'll share a super easy recipe for a light summer cake! Have a great day!

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