Tablescape Tuesday "Wrapped in Love" Tablescape!

Well, Happy Tuesday everyone!!!

I hope you're doing well and having a great week so far! 

On Today's Tablescape Tuesday, I'd like to share with you our latest "Sunday Family Dinner" table!

We actually spent our Sunday dinner at some friends' beautiful new home on Sunday, so this table will stay up a little longer than the normal Sunday Family Dinner Tables, so we'll have this one set for next Sunday's Dinner.

In the meantime, I thought I'd show you what I did for it, so you can have a "sneak peek"!  haha! 

In case you're wondering about the tradition of our "Sunday Family Dinners"....Here is a little info about it.  If you're already familiar with this tradition of ours, feel free to skip over 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
 

 

 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.

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I decided to call this tablescape "Wrapped in Love"  because of the centerpiece being a loving gift from some good friends...and...


Because of the table runner...which is made of WRAPPING PAPER!

That's right!  I DID say wrapping paper!   I saw this idea on Pinterest a few weeks ago and thought that it was absolutely genius! 

I found some pretty wrapping paper I had bought recently and decided to try it on my table and I love how it turned out!   I think it really adds some interest and color to the table and I found that I didn't need to do a whole lot of dressing up to the table because this festive wrapping paper really is enough! 



For the centerpiece, I set this beautiful bouquet of Calla Lillies into a lime green thrift store pot, and just left on the pretty fuscia paper, since it goes so well with the table. 



I set that on a cute pedestal I made from a taper candle-holder and a dessert plate.  I just used super glue to glue the plate onto the holder and voila!  I've used this pedestal with several tables and the total cost (considering we already had the Super Glue) was $1.50!   (50 cents for the candleholder and $1 for the dessert plate...both from thrift stores)


Next to the centerpiece on either side are two glass cupcake dome pedestals that I put candles on instead of the domes. 


Next to THOSE on either side are some new white pillar candleholders from Ikea with white candles on them.  I am a little ashamed to say I paid full price for these tall pillar candleholders ($14.99) but I just love how they look and I knew I'd be using them often!  

Here's a "Plate breakdown" for you to show you what I did for each place setting.


At the bottom is this adorable flower-shaped fuscia charger plate that I got on sale at Michael's for 98 cents!  I was a happy camper to find these. 



Then comes my "White Canvas" plate from the Dollar Tree.  I call these my "white canvas" plates, not because they're made of canvas..haha...I use these on almost every tablescape.  They are so versatile and they're like a blank canvas that brings out the colors I use with it.  These plates make an appearance on almost every tablescape I do these days!  =D


On top of that are some new lime-green salad plates from Old Time Pottery.  I love the edges of this plate!



On top of that, I have a pink dessert plate that I got at the thrift store a few months ago for 50 cents each. 



On top of that is my white saucer from Goodwill (also 50 cents each) and my fun Pier 1 bowls that I am using all the time these days....they're just so cute!!!  lol



I found the lime green bowls at the Dollar Tree...right now they are selling the CUTEST colors in plates and bowls.  I got 4 lime green ones and 4 orange ones.  They also had a pretty summery yellow one.  They are selling dinner plates, cereal bowls and mugs in these designs and colors.  Fun!

The napkins were thrift store finds (25 cents each) and the blingy napkin rings were from Ebay.


I hope you enjoyed this TABLESCAPE TUESDAY!  Be on the lookout for more tables with "wrapping paper runners" from me...I'm on the hunt for some pretty wrapping paper for future tables already...haha! 



Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great week!

This post is being added to....
Inspire Me Tuesday
The Scoop Link Party
Pretty Things Link Party
Centerpiece Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Open House Party
Let's Dish
Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits
Tablescape Thursday
Thrifty Things Friday
Festive Friday Fiesta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just joined in on "The Ultimate Blog Party!"

Hi Everyone!

Ok, while I think that my FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA is the Ultimate LINK Party...hee hee.. =D

I recently found a cool new blog that hosts the Ultimate BLOG Party!   It's a once-a-year event that showcases blogs of all different styles and I decided to "throw my hat in the ring" so to speak with it!

It was created by Susan and Janice from 5 Minutes For Mom and it seems like a great way to share your blog with a pretty large group of other bloggers!  They do it once a year from April 5th through 13th and they feature thousands of blogs!



I found that one of my blogging buddies, Kathy from Life on Lakeshore Drive was doing it, so I went to check it out.  It looks really neat!  I'm excited to check out all the neat blogs out there!

If you're visiting from the Ultimate Blog Party....Welcome!  Come on over, stay a while and peruse the site!   I feature Tablescapes and the bargains that make up those tablescapes, DIY projects, Easy and delicious recipes, and a weekly link party every Friday called the FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA!

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Here's a little about me....

My husband and I moved to South Florida in 2008.  We found a wonderful house that was pretty close to being my dream house. It was also just the perfect house for entertaining.  The only problem was...I had NO idea how to "entertain"!  

We started making some great friends and in 2009 we hosted our own Super Bowl Party for some of our friends from church...and invited anyone to come who didn't have their own Super Bowl plans.  Well, they all came, AND some of them also told other friends about it. We had over 50 people at our home and I was a WRECK!  

I LOVED having people over and seeing everyone having fun together, but I felt like I was always in the kitchen or getting someone something I had forgotten to put out.  My friends were so gracious and forgiving of course, but I knew I needed some help with how to entertain.  I was SO EXHAUSTED after that party and I didn't want to be that way!

Luckily, some of my wonderful new friends were GREAT at entertaining!  They had mastered the art through years of trial and error and just plain ol' "party smarts".  When we'd go to their gorgeous house for get-togethers, they'd have like 50+ people, and I noticed how everything was just so smooth....the hostess actually had time to TALK and laugh with her guests...she wasn't frantically running to get one thing or another for people. 

So I talked to her...and asked her how she does it!   She gave me some pointers and I tried again.   We had our married couples ministry party at our house....it went a little better....

Life changed for us after our two children came into our lives last year (we adopted two of the most wonderful children through foster care in March of 2012 and a sweet doggie from a rescue in April of 2012),

But now that they are settled in and doing great, I have been getting the itch to begin to host more things at our house.  Maybe not 50 people every week...haha...but I really believe we have this lovely home for entertaining for a reason...not just for us to enjoy, but also for others to enjoy!

So...In 2013, I decided to forego the "usual" resolutions I have  (lose weight, exercise regularly, etc.)  because I choose those every year and by January 9th or so, I break them...haha!   I decided to make my 2013 New Years Resolutions the following:

"To master the art of entertaining family and friends in my home by hosting more events where people can come and enjoy eachother's company in a beautiful setting."

AND

"To create a beautiful, organized, and God-Filled HOME for my family, for entertaining, and for my own sanity!"

This translated into organizing and getting rid of lots of clutter in my home, hosting a new weekly "Sunday Family Dinner" for our family, which you can read about the most recent one HERE, and put new entertaining events ON THE CALENDAR instead of just talking about them!

I started pouring over Pinterest and other blogs I found on this blogging journey to see how others decorated their tables for their guests.  There are some REALLY GIFTED decorators and hostesses out there!  I share my Tablescapes every Tuesday from our Sunday Family Dinners as well as various events on TABLESCAPE TUESDAY!

I started trying to find new recipes to make that were easy and delicious to make for our Sunday Family Dinners and parties and I now share things that I've made on this blog every Wednesday for "WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY"

I've also started a Link Party for all things creative (recipes, tablescapes, tips and tricks, DIY projects, etc) called the FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA and I have been loving all the creative blogs out there who are sharing their ideas!

Thanks again for stopping by.  I'm hoping we'll see lots of eachother!  Have a great weekend!

FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA Link Party #5 and Features!

Hi everyone!

I hope you are having a good week!  Mine has been spent decompressing from the super busy weekend we had last week and preparing for one of my kids who is having a Birthday this weekend!   It's a super busy time, but lots of fun!

I'm so sorry I wasn't able to comment on each of the links posted to last week's party, but we sure did have some good ones!  Here are just a few of the great posts from last week!!!

Leigh Anne from Your Home Based Mom shared this yummy looking Roasted Broccoli with Parmesean Cheese and Pine Nuts!

I love finding new broccoli recipes since broccoli is so good for you, so this one definitely is on the list of things I'd like to make!


Jessica from A Humble Creation shared these lovely dishes that have such a special place in her heart! 
She titled it "If These Dishes Could Speak!"

Such a nicely written story behind this very pretty set!


Ellya from Curiosita Ellya shared these lovely roses with us...but these are not your ordinary roses, these are made with COFFEE FILTERS!   I was so impressed with these DIY Coffee Filter Roses!

You really can't tell they are made from Coffee Filters!  They look just like the real thing to me! 

And the post with the most views this week was Alycia Nichols from Table Twenty-One with her wonderful Easter Bloom Tablescape.

I just love all the details of this beautiful table!!!

Congratulations to everyone who was 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....

<center>
<a href="http://www.the-home-girl-blog.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_mrWl3vcHK2Si-0OvNLTnqhZJxQJ-bRaeqS-IPYOAKPdBjQqFLhkD-iNQQzAMf2RTcGXVWvR_AJPGg5kTXRva8hEsBlyWl6a-8OYAm5NFxist8sKXKEkiGiagHcGyfSvdLgqUxiIKnc/s1600/FestiveFridayFiestaFeatured.jpg" /></a></center>

This one below is the general Fiesta Button

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

<center>

<a href="http://www.the-home-girl-blog.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrADRco0pAZZP82NE8h0SU_2mxM2nGKn-X-45WKHTV5BVLWozMKuouSl4Y7AGzlYfD2h0XSpwVGacPI5gWIQxCkCw54cVbLLaTCWgtLP2HDxrrZooXb1R18y-3VV52YT5O09k9CFTsy8/s1600/FestiveFriday+Fiesta+Button.jpg" /></a></center>

Hope those work! Thanks again!

Now, Let's get on to This Week's Party!!!  Ole!

Whadda We Eatin' Wednesday - Yummy Mac and Cheese Cups

Hi Everyone!!!

Happy Wednesday to you!

I hope you are having a great week so far!   Ours is going well.  Busy, but good. 

Welcome to another WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY!!!

Today I want to share with you a neat recipe I made for Easter Dinner and a disclaimer at the end. 

I based this recipe of another recipe I found on Pinterest.  Here is the original recipe.  I made my first batch according to the original recipe and they turned out just a LITTLE dry so I changed it up a bit for the second batch and these were definitely better!

This is a fun party food for kids parties or even grown-up parties!!


Here's the recipe and what you'll need...

 

 Mama's Zesty Mac and Cheese Cups

1 Box of Macaroni
1 Cup of whole milk
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/4 cup butter
3 cups shredded Taco Cheese
1 cup (or less) shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
4 chicken bullion cubes

Crumb Topping
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook pasta a few minutes LESS than required on the package of macaroni.  I added the 4 bullion cubes to the water and some salt to salt up the pasta a bit....this will keep it from being too bland.  My pasta called for 10-12 minutes, I cooked it 8 minutes.  You want it al dente.

Once cooked and drained, mix the butter and the beaten eggs in with the pasta and coat well.

Add the 3 cups of taco cheese and mix well.  Then add the milk and sour cream, and mix well.

Scoop the mixure into well greased muffin tins to about half full.  Top with sprinkled cheddar and the bread crumb topping.

Bake 30 minutes at 375.  



Once cooked let cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes before removing, to let the cheese cool and bind everything together.


I made these the day before Easter for Easter dinner.  I had read on the original recipe that these reheat great.  I did NOT have that experience. 

These were delicious right out of the oven and a big hit among my "taste testers" and I was so excited to serve these reheated the next day, but the next day when I reheated them, they were dry and not so good. 

If you do make these, make sure you make them right before your dinner or event for the best flavor and texture! 


I hope you enjoyed this WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY!!!  Don't forget to join me tomorrow night starting at 8pm for my FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA Link Party and features from last week's Link Party!!!

Have a great day!

This post is being added to...
Showcase Your Talent
A New Creation
On the Menu Monday
Wonderful Food Wednesday
Show and Share Wednesday
Foodie Friday
Festive Friday Fiesta

Tablescape Tuesday - 3 Easter Tables!

Hi all!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend!!!  Ours was good!  Very busy, but very good!  We had a large gathering of wonderful family and friends! 

Today I'll be sharing with you my Easter Tables!  We actually had 3 because we had 20 people eating and I wanted us all to eat together! 

I wasn't able to get a whole lot of pictures because I was so busy right up to the moment the guests arrived....I just snapped a few quick shots as people were knocking on our door...haha!!!  

I'll try to explain them for each pic if you're interested in where they came from!

Our First table was a table for our "Grown Ups".  The "Matriarchs and Patriarchs" of the families gathered!  This included my father and his girlfriend, my husbands parents, and my cousins from Maine who were in town visiting! 

For this table (and all tables except the kids table) I used a basic white tablecloth.  I then took round placemats and lined them up for the table runner.  On each placemat, I tried to place something.

In the very center was a round glass cylinder with some spring bunny tinsel from the thrift store running through it. 

On the sides of that were some pillar candle holders with some candles wrapped in Easter ribbon, and the  cutest little "Easter egg house"!   I found this at our church's thrift store for just $2.50 and it was just cute as could be!  I put some little electric votives in there...you can't really see that in this picture, but it was adorable!

The bunny inside the cloche with the green Easter Grass was a find from our church's local thrift store.  It was so cute...and just $2!  I added a few lavender flowers from the Dollar Tree in her little back pouch!

The next table was the LONG table of "Kids and Friends"   My hubby and I sat here as well as some of our friends and our second cousins.

For this table, I needed to accommodate 9 people so I made a long table by putting two Sam's Tables together...again both with white tablecloths.  Here it is...with my little ones in the background!  They were waiting at the window for our friends and family to arrive!  They were so excited!  It was so cute!

I kept this table a little more simple since is was a thinner table and was holding more people.  The color came mostly from the placemats and the colored daisies on the table, as well as the pastel chargers.

Each place setting had a pastel charger, a white dinner plate, a cute little Pier 1 bowl with a different colored pastel peep in it, and a pastel place card with their name on it.

Here's the "Little Kids' and Grandkids" table!   Vinyl Tablecloth, some turquoise plastic plates and a cute bunny on a hand-made pedestal. Tutorial coming soon! (for the pedestal, not the bunny...haha!  I got that at a thrift store!)



So much of the centerpiece stuff was purchased at our church's local thrift store as they had marked 50% off their Easter stuff!  I found so many cute things that would have been cheap at full price, but at HALF PRICE, they were even better!!! 

I wasn't able to get a picture of our dinner buffet with all the food on it, but I was able to snap this picture of our "Drinks and Desserts" station!   My dad's girlfriend is quite creative and she helped make the presentation spectacular!

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this quick tour of our Easter Tables for this Tablescape Tuesday!  Have a wonderful week! 

Hope to see you tomorrow for "WHADDA WE EATIN' Wednesday, where I'll show you a super-easy recipe for a real crowd-pleaser for Holiday dinners!!!

OH YEAH!   And don't forget to come back on Friday for the

FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA Link Party!

and link up YOUR creative projects, tables and recipes for the week!!!  

Thanks again for stopping by!  See you soon!

This post is being added to...
Tabletop Tuesdays
Wow Us Wednesday
Let's Dish
Tablescape Thursday
Open House Party
Festive Friday Fiesta

FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA Link Party #4 and Features!

Ah, yes...it's that time of the week when things begin to wind down....the work week is wrapping up....time for relaxing and.....

WAIT!  This is EASTER WEEKEND!  No slowing down here!!!

We are gearing up for quite a crazy busy weekend at the HOME GIRL Household!!!

Friday is Good Friday, and my in-laws will be heading into town to spend Easter Weekend with us.  Friday night we'll head over to church for the Good Friday service!

Saturday is our "GOTCHA DAY"!  The one year anniversary of when we adopted our kids!  Soooo, we want to make that day very special!  Presents, some memorable and fun activity, etc.  Plus LOTS of preparations because on EASTER Sunday, we will be heading to a special outdoor Easter Service with our church, which is going to be a little farther than normal for us...and very early in the morning!  Then we'll rush home and finish up preparations for a HUGE Easter Dinner for 20 people!!!    WOW!   I'm praying NOW that I'll be able to get it all done in time! 

But I'm also so excited at the same time to celebrate this great upcoming weekend with people I love!

I'm also super excited about this week's FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA!!!   Last week we had some really neat posts!!!   Again, picking Features was extra hard, but I was able to narrow them down to a few great features!

Sarah from Hyacinths For the Soul put together this lovely colorful table for her Garden Club!  I LOVE these bright colors and beautiful details! 

Perfect for this time of year!  Check out her post for lots more of the lovely details of this luncheon!
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Christine from "Christine's Home and Travel Adventures" shared a BEAUTIFUL tour of her gardens and backyard area!"  It was so beautiful! 

I had a hard time not being envious of her gorgeous home, pool and flower gardens!  Just fabulous!!!
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Alexis from "Running Away?  I'll Help You Pack"  came up with some really creative ideas when her kids were invited to a "Mad Hatter Tea Party"! 

I love these crazy clock suitcases she made for the occasion!  She posted several great recipes and crafts for this party!  So fun!!!
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Kathleen from "Cuisine Kathleen" shared an absolutely LOVELY Hydrangea Tablescape this week!  

I love the textures she uses, her beautiful plates and those gorgeous Hydrangeas!!!
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And the post with the most views this week was Jo May from "LoblollyLane"  who shared her delicious looking Sweet Peach Cake she made after watching the Food Network!!  

This looks super yummy!!!  I've always wanted to go into the kitchen right after a cooking show and make the very thing I just saw!  You can even see the yummy chunks of peaches in there.....Deeeeelish!
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Thanks so much everyone for sharing your awesome creativity this past week!   Now...on to this week's party!!!!  

COME JOIN THE FIESTA!!!   Everyone is welcome!


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Can't wait to see what you've been up to this week!  Thanks so much for stopping by and have a BLESSED EASTER/PASSOVER WEEKEND!!!

This post is being added to...
Get Schooled Saturday

It's Whadda We Eatin' Wednesday! Recipe for Spicy Sausage Pinwheels!

Hiya Everyone!!!

I hope you are having a great week!!!   I can't believe it's already half over!!! 

Today I'd like to share an easy and delicious party food recipe!  A great appetizer if you're having a get-together or even for an Easter gathering!

I first saw this recipe on Shannah's site from JUST US FOUR!   If you haven't checked her blog out yet, you should, she has got some great recipes and great ideas!  

This recipe looked so yummy and so easy that I knew I had to try it for a get-together!   Well, I found just the occasion!  

We had an outdoor movie night the day before St. Patrick's Day for our kids and their homeschooling friends and their families!  It was such a fun night!   I thought this would be a great time to test out this yummy looking appetizer!

I made a few small changes to this recipe....I used spicy Turkey Sausage instead of the regular sausage, I used full-fat cream cheese, and I wasn't able to find refrigerated Pizza dough at my grocery store, so I used the refrigerated crescent roll dough and just sealed the perforations.

 

Having said that, here is the recipe...

Ingredients: - 1 lb spicy ground Italian sausage or Turkey Sausage  (if you use turkey sausage...you may want to add a few spices to taste, but it was certainly good without the extra spices too.)
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 tube Pillsbury pizza crust  (or crescent rolls)
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Cook the sausage in a skillet stirring with a spoon to crumble. Drain well.  I pressed a paper towel over the sausage after it is done draining to get the excess oil off, that's how well you want to drain it.

Mix the sausage and the softened cream cheese together.  Make sure to stir well.

 

Roll out the pizza crust or crescent rolls with a rolling pin...making sure to seal the perforations if you use the crescent rolls....and spread the sausage mixture evenly on top.

 

 

Roll the pizza dough up into a log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes to make it easier to slice.  I actually made the logs the night before and put them in the refrigerator until it was time to bake. 

Then slice horizontally into 1-inch slices and place on ungreased baking sheet.

 

 Sprinkle slices with the cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

 

These came out really delicious!  I ate too many.  I couldn't help myself.   I made two batches for the party because I knew I'd eat so many!  They were awesome and were a hit at our party too!

I think I might just add one step for next time, just to make it a little more crispy and buttery....I would brush a little melted butter over the top and see what happens...it might work...it might not.  I'm willing to put in the work to find out...haha!

Thanks so much for joining me for another "WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY"  and I hope you have a great rest of the week!

Also, I hope you'll join me tomorrow night at 8pm ET for the FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA Link Party!  The party is live Thursday nights at 8pm ET through Sunday nights at 8pm ET!

Have a good one!  Thanks again for stopping by!  =D

 

 

This post is being added to....

Open House Party

Showcase Your Talent

Foodie Friday

Weekend Wrap Up

Strut Your Stuff Saturday