Share the Love at Laurie's Valentine Party

Weddings of 4 kids and a wedding proposal of 1.

Calling all the lovers out there! Come join Laurie's Valentine Party at http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/ and since I am sharing a Valentine tablescape, I am also joining Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ I hope I don't miss anything because I am preposting this since I won't be here on the actual date. I will be enjoying my grandbabies (3 by then, I hope) in Florida. Although I can still blog while I am away, my photos are loaded in my big computer which is staying here.

How do you like my chocolate candles? They smell like chocolate too. Yummylicious!

I am almost tempted to eat them, good thing they are hot and I get burned before I could take a bite, lol.

Hmmm, I wonder if anybody ate some. What happened to the rest?

Heart salad and red dinner plates from Marshall's.

I couldn't decide which of the 2 I would use for the napkin ring so why not use both?

I got this frame idea from another blogger but unfortunately, I cannot remember who. If anybody remembers, please leave me a comment so I can give credit where it's due. I was originally going to hang the heart plaque at the back of the chair but I thought this is a better idea.

And here's where the other plaque went, in front of the fireplace. The driftwood box holds a set of dominoes. This is our game room, remember?

Isn't that a romantic sunset view? The sky kinda matches the glow of the candles.

Sheffield silver candlesticks.

The goblets are from the dollar store, for uh....$1 each.

The champagne glass with a red heart is from Walgreens. I bought a pair last year and they came with the heart tea light candle holders.

Do you like the wooden bird? I like how its wings are spread out.

Daytime view. Does anybody know how to clean glass with chlorine water marks? The polaris pool cleaner always shoots water into the glass and I have rubbed and rubbed them with glass cleaner but I can't seem to get rid of the stain.

My hula hoop area did not stay empty for too long. The emptiness was driving me crazy so I moved the 2 leather ottomans here, temporarily of course. Everything is temporary at our house because I constantly move stuff around.

For the record, I am still able to do my hula hoops because the hoop twirls higher than the ottoman. Yipee!

Hope you enjoyed the parties. Now let's go visit the rest of the participants by going to Laurie's and Susan's.

Thanks for coming by!

Iguana in a Japanese Garden

We went to a Japanese Garden in the West Palm Beach area. I cannot remember the name. Sorry! Anyway, I just want to share the pictures of the huge Iguana who was just sitting on the tree by the water.

There he is,. Isn't he a beauty? He did not even move while we were there.

I hope you enjoyed this post. For more outdoor and watery pictures, please visit Susan at http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ and 2sweetnsaxy at http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/ for more outdoor and watery pictures. Thanks to our gracious hosstesses for these 2 wonderful memes.

I appreciate your visits and your comments very much!

Blue From the Sky and Mosaic of a Mosaic

I did not think I would have any contribution for today until I looked at my surrounding. I was flying from Jackson to Orlando and as we were landing, I noticed all these blues, the plane, the sky and the water. So I grabbed my camera and started shooting. The last picture was what I saw when I got to my final destination. Isn't the setting sun just beautiful? The plane is mostly white but look at the name. It's JetBLUE!

For more awesome blue Monday post, visit Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com

Now, Now, this is what I call a true mosaic.......a mosaic of a mosaic floor! I noticed this beautiful floor while waiting for my connecting flight at the Orlando airport. For more creative mosaics, go to Mary's site at http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/. I know you won't be disappointed.

Thanks, Sally and Mary for posting these great memes.

I appreciate everyone's visit and comment.

Hyatt and Disney World in Orlando

It's Saturday again so we get to go on a trip and show off our pinks. Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly. Make sure you go to http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ to see what she is sharing with us and see her participants' lovely pinks too.
My contribution is my set of crown plates. One of them is mostly pink and the green one has a pink crown. I got them from Ebay a while back. They are marked "1855, Email de Limoges, Italy" in the back.

Today is also Sightseeing Saturday so we get to take a trip. I am taking you to Orlando, FL.

When we lived in Florida, when we wanted to get away just for a weekend, we would check in at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel. Here is the view from our window.

They have a really cool lobby, complete with greenery and exotic birds. See how happy my mom and AJ were? Great granddaughter guiding great grandma.......isn't that sweet?

These birds were just there in the lobby and they don't fly away.

We always enjoy their heated rocky pool and jacuzzi complete with slides, waterfalls and a rope bridge.

I just love this picture. The swans are so pretty and so relaxed. Aren't the pink flowers pretty? This is what I call tranquility and serenity.

John took AJ to Disney World. I did not go with them because I have been there so many times so I dragged my mom to shop at the Outlet mall instead.

Hope you enjoyed another short trip. Thank you so much for coming and thanks to Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday.

Patriotic Medley Makes Me Laugh, Not Just Smile

A new meme! How exciting! Now, this new meme will definitely make you smile. Thanks to Debbie of http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/ for bringing all these big smiles on our faces. Go visit her and enjoy all the fun posts.

Does anybody know all the lyrics to Stars Spangled Banner? I don't know why but I can never memorize the whole song. I guess my granddaughter took after me.

About 5 years ago when we were still living in Florida, dh bought my granddaughter a small video camera. She had so much fun shooting movies of everything all over the place. When she finally put it down, I took the disk and copied everything she recorded. And this was one of them. No wonder she became so quiet. She locked herself in a bedroom and started recording herself. LOL! You really need to see this because it puts a really big smile on my face everytime I watch it. Maybe it will on yours too. I like how she put several songs together and ad libbed when she did not know the lyrics, lol.

I hope she does not see this post. She will probably get mad at me if she finds out that I posted it on my blog but I think it is so cute. She was about 6 years old here.

Thanks Debbie for allowing us to share fun photos and videos and thank you all for coming by.

Blue Eggshell Romance

These past 2 months has been my busiest months although next month will be just as busy, I think. I will be going to Cape Coral to welcome the newest member of our family, a grandson. My daughter has another toddler who just turned 2 last Aug. so she wanted me to stay with them for a while to help take care of the babies. And who could ever say no to grandkids? Not me! I am getting really excited.

In Dec, we went on a cruise to the Virgin Islands on the most amazing maiden voyage of the Oasis of the Seas. Then, we went to Florida to spend a few days with my granddaughter AJ, before she went back to school.

This month, we have had 3 dinner parties and the third one is what I would like to share with you today. Let's join Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ and visit all the other participants too.

I found this long pretty blue quilted runner at Z Gallerie while in FL last month and I just had to have it.

And when I got home, I really wanted to use the runner so I pulled what I have to coordinate with that color and ended up using my Homer Laughlin Eggshell Romance china. I have had this for at least a year but never used them until now. I think they are perfect with the runner, don't you think?

I moved this Meissen musical ladies compote from the corner cabinet and made it my centerpiece focal point. I won this on my very first estate auction and was totally surprised because I thought I was bidding on a chair. LOL! But I totally love it so no regrets here! I took 2 of our smaller Sevres urns from the living room and moved them to the table too. I bought the 2 bejeweled square trays also from Z Gallerie and decided to use them also. I placed an urn on it but it looked a little bare so I took the 2 artichoke (or cabbage?) tea light candles from the living room and 2 bird tea light candles from the kitchen and created a grouping.
Crystal beverage stemware from TJ Maxx (or Marshall's?) and wine glasses from Ross. The silver fluted plate chargers are from Brylane Home. I paid $21 for all 8 of them.
Is that an artichoke or a cabbage? The veins make it look like a cabbage. And isn't that just the cutest salt cellar with its tiny spoon?

For a starter, I served Waldorf salad, recipe of which I copied from Susan of http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/ The guests really liked it so thanks, Susan! I served food, buffet style on the kitchen counter. I find this more conveninet than passing the food around the table because the dishes tend to be always heavy with food in them. And with all the decor on the table, there is hardly enough space for food, so buffet is my new way of serving now. We still go back to our seats after getting food to socialize.

I found this salt and pepper shaker from Home Goods when we went to Pensacola and it was so cheap, something ike $5.99. It looks so elegant and has its own tray. Now. I wish I should have gotten more.

Here's the buffet setting in the kitchen.

Marty and Laurie, do you see my cloche? Come and join us for 2 exciting parties soon: Laurie's Valentine party at http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/ on Feb. 12 and Marty's cloche party at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ on Feb. 19. Mark your blog calendars!

The cheesecake is from Sam's Club and it was good. I was going to make one from scratch, already bought all the ingredients and then I went with my friend to Baton Rouge with the intention of baking when we got back. My friend saw this cheesecake and told me to just buy it so I don't have to bake and we will have more time shopping. LOL! That's a no brainer! Shopping against baking?

Well, I hope you enjoyed my dinner party. Wish you were all there to join us in person. Thanks, Susan, for another fun week!