Happy 4th of July!!

It's time to play again! I am posting early because I can foresee hecticness coming around the corner. I just don't want to miss all these parties.

I do apologize in advance if I am unable to visit you nor comment in a timely manner but I promise to catch up as soon as I can when we get back.

My sister is arriving tomorrow from St. Louis to stay with my mom while John and I take a break on a short Caribbean cruise with granddaughter, AJ. We just wanted to take AJ out of the country for a few days. She arrived the other day so actually, I already have been pretty busy trying to finish everything I need to do before leaving, preparing for my sister's arrival and shopping for AJ's needs.

But I wanted to leave the table set for the 4th of July for my sister to enjoy and use.


I am linking with the ever gracious Susan of http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for Tablescape Thursday.

I see a some thrifty finds on the table so will link with Leigh for Thrifty Thursday at http://lbratina.blogspot.com/

and with Diann for Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
I am also linking with her monthly Thrifty Tablescape.

I set the tablescape on the small table in the breakfast nook.



Do you think it is patriotic enough? I think so!

Staffordshire Liberty Blue dinner plates showing the Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

I got 9 of them from Ebay for $23.07 plus shipping of $12.17. I added them to other matching
pieces that I have had from past years.

How d'ya like to eat your salad on the home of George Washington's momma.

I aded the flag just by sticking it into the bucket to complete the patriotism.

The Liberty Bell as you know is inside the Independence Hall. I used to see it a lot when I lived in Philadelphia.

I like seeing the glow cast by the candles.

My centerpiece is just a grouping of red, white and blue with stars items including an egg shaped blue and white Polish pottery S & P shaker.

The flag stands proudly!

The plain blue glass goblets were $1 each from Walmart. To make the table more elegant, I added Bohemian crystal champagne glasses. They are not that thrifty but I think they are reasonable, $35 for 6 of them.

The cobalt blue "Remo" flatware are from Neiman Marcus on sale for $67.36 (free shipping) for a complete service for 8 set.

I love the lace tablecloth! It's thrifty too, bought it for $3 from one of the vendors in the store. As John said, it is not having a booth that is the real value there but what we find and buy from the other vendors. Don't you just love the fringes?

Found this votive candle holder at Ross for about $3 also.

Thank you so much to our hostesses. And for you all, especially the ones who repeatedly takes the effort to leave nice comments, I truly appreciate you! Thanks!!!

Tina and Scott's Wedding

Tina is the youngest among my children so she's always been the baby of the family. This was taken during her bridal shower.

It was an event so I might as well use this for my Sightseeing, events or shopping Saturday post too. But I originally thought about it when I was invited to join at http://sugarnspiceinthelandofballsnsticks.blogspot.com/ for Before Blogging Throwback Thursdays . I had the photos all gathered up and ready because I intended to post them to link with Stephanie of http://angelicaccents.blogspot.com/" for her Wedding Blog Party but I did not have time because that was when the kids were over for a visit and I was extremely busy.

Tina and Scott's wedding definitely occurred before I started blogging. In fact, my very first blog in January of 2009 was about the wedding of my other daughter, Rochelle to Derek. So I am glad I got an opportunity to blog about Tina and Scott's wedding too. Someday, I will also blog about Jed and Becky's wedding.

Since the color motif of the wedding was champagne, chocolate brown and dusty rose (pink), I will also link with Beverly's Pink Saturday at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

It all started with a proposal. Scott called Tina to meet him at the beach and when she got there, he kept leading her to a certain area of the beach and that's when she saw this, followed by an engagement ring. They have been classmates since elementary school and started going out in HS.

And so the busy preparation began. I still lived in Florida then and was working full time in a laboratory. But I would start working on wedding stuff before and after work. I sewed all 3 flower girl gowns from scratch. It always felt good after each project was brought to completion.
We bought a dozen black lanterns and painted them champagne. And then I embellished them with ribbons, pearls, flowers and a wedding ring. Sorry I cannot find a picture of a completed one. These were used as centerpieces alternatively with tall vases with flowers.
I found a plain birdcage at Joann Fabrics and I painted it champagne. Then, I embellished it with bows, ribbons, pearls, pink roses and doves.

I created all the corsages, bouquets, boutonnieres and flower girl baskets. Tina wanted something very simple but she wanted the handle decorated with Swavorski crystals. And her wish was my command! We ordered all the flowers from a flower shop. I think we paid about $300 and that included all the flowers for the church and reception too.

The shoes.

I also made head dresses for the flower girls. Here's AJ trying hers out. I bought plain baskets and covered them with pleated satin and added bows and flowers and strings of flowing ribbons. I found beige Battenburg lace doillies in Grand Cayman, bought them and used them to adorn the ring and coin pillows.

The little one would not wear her headdress, lol.

Here comes the bride!

I also made her veil, just aded pearls along the edges and gathered it on top and sewed the headband. She just wanted something simple.

The newlyweds with their grandmas and grandpa.

The wedding attendants!

Posing with Calvin, their late beloved dog in a bowtie.

Again, the couple with the attendants.

At the reception entrance.


Tina wanted the reception with a water view so we had it at the Rusty Pelican on Tampa Bay.

For the centerpieces, we alternated the lanterns with tall vases with flowers, mostly roses, which I also put together. And do you notice the party favors? I also created them, all 250 of them. They are champagne votive candle holders filled with shortbread cookies, the individually wrapped ones they give out in airplanes, wrapped in brown tulle and then tied with dusty rose personalized ribbons. I think I also added pink roses in the center. I cannot remember nor can tell from the pictures.

The bride with her brother and sister. I am very happy because the three of them are all very close to one another.

The couple with the bride's mom.

Note to myself: Never have my hair done again. I hated it!! LOL!

All my 7 close friends from College attended all the way from Canada, California, Illinois, New Jersey and Missouri.

the wedding cake

And here is the happy couple now with their 2 sons and 1 more coming (hopefully a daughter, but a son will be much welcomed with open arms too).

When I think about it now, I do not know how I was able to accomplish everything I did especially because I was working full time. The wedding was really beautiful and so perfect and it was worth all the hard work.

I don't work now and I cannot even finish everything I want to do at home, lol.

Thank you so much for stopping by and thanks to our hostesses!

Summer Spaces, lots of them!

Hi all! I would like to join some summer parties. More information is below. Just to show you an overview of my summer spaces, I created a mosaic of panoramic photos of the yard and deck.

As you can see, I like a natural looking yard.

In case you have not heard, there is a Blog Party going on from 6-20 to 6-25 at Vanessa's.

Check it out at http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
I am joining Jenna's Summer Spaces at http://www.sasinteriors.net/
and Sherry's Summer Entertaining at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

I apologize in advance for posting a lot of pictures but I do have a lot of summer spaces and I wanted to share them all with you.

Let's start with the gazebo. Sometimes, I drink my coffee and read the newspaper there in the morning and then I see a deer watching me from behind.

We have lunch here sometimes even if it is just my mother and me and I often have tea with a close friend, Debjani.

Next, let's go to the secret garden. I call this as such because you do not see it from the house nor from the deck unless you go all the way to the edge. It is situated very low and you have to climb down a few steps to get there. Before we bought the house, this area was not even used, it was very bushy. We had the bushes cleared out and added railroad ties to create terraces.

I have created various seating nooks here so we can spread out and I can sit anywhere when I get tired from gardening, which I do a lot.

My last barbecue and swimming get together with friends was held here.

My grandson enjoyed rocking on the stone bunny rocker when he visited last week.

I just love it when grandkids visit and they are just roaming the property.

I have created various walking paths to make it easier to walk and climb around.

Now, lets go back up.

We had a wet deck built to entice the grandkids to visit more often and keep them occupied when they do come.

Are you ready to go for a swim now?

My 3 year old grandson is not afraid to jump from the board into an 8 ft. water but I am, lol! And they are not afraid to slide down either but I am! I know! I know! I am a chicken:-)

I have a big clock there on the wall so that John can check the time and not be late for work. He often comes home for lunch to swim.

Around the periphery of the pool and deck, you will see a lot of seating areas, pretty much in every corner and more. Here's one!


Some loungers. Hubby likes to read here after swimming.

And then there's the arbor. Did you notice we have another one in the secret garden? Sometimes, I just have tea and a snack here while blogging and playing Scrabble on the i phone.

This parlor table set is the latest one that I bought. I bought it from Homegoods in Houston. I fell in love with the design and color. I told my friend that it will be our next setting for having wine, cheese and crackers. But I just started a diet yesterday so I will have to postpone that.

And this is the farthest settee from the house. We will have to go down to get to it so it is hardly used.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my summer spaces. Thank you so much for your visits. And I would like to thank our hostesses, Vanessa, Jenna and Sherry for hosting.