It's hard to believe. Memorial Day celebrations begin in just a few days. It's the official weekend to kick off everything summer. One thing is for sure, many families and friends will be gathering to enjoy delicious food. With that in mind, today I wanted to share with you a few... Patriotic Tablescape Ideas It's easy for me to set a patriotic table because I have dinnerware in red, ivory, and blue. Red and white is great for Christmas and Valentine's Day. Blue and white is terrific for the snowy days of January and Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. And then, I … [Read more...]
It's been really windy around here lately. I even have to wear a cute ball cap so that I don't end up eating my hair while I take my daily constitutional. Doesn't that sound so important....daily constitutional? The wind was so strong that it kept blowing my cap off my head. My ponytail fed through the expansion hole in the back didn't even help to keep it on. My dad used to say, "The wind doesn't blow for nothing." It's a funny remark. But...whenever the wind kicks up, I'm reminded of his phrase. The wind didn't cease through the night. The next morning I woke … [Read more...]
Yesterday I teased you with tea and banana bread. Oh my! It is The BEST banana bread. Maybe the yummiest ever!! You couldn't believe that I would withhold the recipe until today. I hope we're still friends! [grin] Just look at it sitting on the plate with that creamy pat of butter. Mouth-watering. Extraordinary. Moist. Flavorful. Delicious. Banana Bread. I know you want to reach into your screen and pick up a slice. This banana bread is the wonderful balance of light and hearty. Delicate for a ladies' tea and yet filling for your lunch with cheese and … [Read more...]
I did it again! Seriously I am having too much fun playing in my sun room. Since we painted the trim white, I have so enjoyed dressing the sun room for the seasons! And now that it's warming up I'll enjoy spending lots of time out there too. Here's my latest iteration... A Sunny Yellow Table Setting for Two Do you recognize the cheerful vintage yellow crocus pot? It's a 1940's piece of pottery that looks amazingly contemporary. Gotta love that! For Easter I had blue and white eggs in each of the surrounding planting holes with the same daffodils in the middle. This time … [Read more...]
My small group was getting together for dinner and I was preparing my favorite quick and easy vegetable side dish recipe...Far East Celery. It's my go-to recipe that everyone always raves about. And I love that it goes so well with beef, turkey, chicken, and fish dishes and I'm quite certain it will make a sensational side dish for a ham dinner, too. With Easter dinner quickly approaching, I'm thinking many of you are putting together your menus right now. Far East Celery would be perfect on the Easter buffet. So, as I was purchasing my ingredients, I knew I needed to share my recipe … [Read more...]
What colors elicit the feeling of Spring for you? Yellow is one of my favorite colors, so when the Daffodils begin blooming, it's like I see happiness popping up all over my world. Several years ago as I was going through my parents' cupboards....you know the way-up-high kitchen storage that once an item goes up there, no one ever sees again? That's where I found this yellow Crocus planter. As I was trying to decide what to put together without spending a dime, I remembered that bright yellow pot I had taken home with me. It was the starting place for this yellow, blue, and … [Read more...]
One of my favorite soups to order when I go out to dinner is French Onion Soup. It is your favorite soup too? When I was in college I had the privilege of traveling abroad. On one of my trips, some friends and I splurged and had dinner in a lovely restaurant on the Seine River in Paris, France, not far from the Notre Dame Cathedral. And, believe it or not, it was the very first time I had ever tasted French Onion Soup. Since then, I have tried different recipes in hopes that I could re-create the memory of those wonderful flavors. And this time, I think I got … [Read more...]
How do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? When I lived in the Buffalo area I could have attended a parade and enjoyed lots of Irish food, music, dance, and drink. Here in my new neighborhood, I haven't even noticed any shiny shamrocks popping up on front doors. Not yet, anyway. Is there any Irish in your blood? Do you wear green, decorate your home, or enjoy some Irish festivities? Do you celebrate with any special foods or beverages? There's no Irish in my blood, but I thought it would be fun to bring out this vintage cocoa set … [Read more...]
Winter came roaring back this week. Cold temps. High winds. And plenty of those frozen crystals that fall from the sky. Though we would like to be seeing daffodils and tulips....it's still a bit early. With that in mind, I spent this week embracing winter. Inside. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link An Extraordinary Day will receive a small commission which will help with the costs of this site. Thank you! St. Valentine's Day will be here soon. But, as much as I enjoy hearts I want Winter to be the lead with St. Valentine … [Read more...]
Have you noticed it? Hearts and cupids are popping up all over. Well actually I haven't seen any cupids. Which is okay. I'm not a fan. Are you? As you may know, I'm supposed to be packing. But, really it is much more fun to pop on here and have a chat with you and share a very easy little idea of mine for heart day. But, first off I can't resist sharing a few extra bits of inspiring sweetness, also. Most of these inspirations are quick and easy to create on a budget. Spreading {Valentine} Joy & Blessing.... Do you enjoy making little sweets to share … [Read more...]
This year I've had fun making my New Year's table sparkle with gold and silver and candlelight. You might remember my Thanksgiving table. The gold trim on the plates were the hint I needed to splash gold accents all over my table. Then for an early Christmas party I decided to splurge and purchased some silver chargers for just 99 cents. That table setting was a twist on elements of the Thanksgiving table but in silver. In preparing my New Year's table setting, I thought it would be fun to meld the gold and silver together for a perfectly imperfect New … [Read more...]
Recently I opened up the holiday issue of Traditional Home Magazine. As I flipped through pages of gorgeous home decor I came across a lovely table setting. It was exquisite. Beautiful china and crystal and elaborate centerpieces. I enjoyed the eye candy that was presented on those pages. And it inspired me to look at my cupboards and see what I have in a new light. How could I creatively put together a lovely holiday table without going out and spending a lot of money? What a great challenge. Have you taken on such a challenge? It would be easy to whine and … [Read more...]
I've had my ear to the ground and it seems that people are saying Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. There are no gifts involved, no fireworks - though I'm sure it's pretty deserving. It's a holiday reserved for gathering and gratitude. Really...that makes it pretty special. Unless you're spending it alone. Most years I'm too busy to do more than think about what my Thanksgiving table will look like, let alone plan what will be eaten from the plates on the table. But, not this year. I have had time to do a little tablescaping....and exercise that thankful heart muscle while doing … [Read more...]
What do we celebrate on Thanksgiving? When I was a little girl, the front of the church would have a beautiful assembly of pumpkins and squash and corn stalks. Even then, it warmed my heart. We would sing a song about the harvest being gathered in, and it seemed so big, like a great accomplishment. And I would think of the glass canning jars filled with peaches and tomatoes that lined the shelves of the "turntable" in my mother's cupboard....so heavily laden I could hardly make it spin an inch. Harvest....that was what Thanksgiving was about. Everyone gathered together in … [Read more...]
Yesterday I left you hanging... just like the little guy dangling from a thread on my dinner napkins! If you missed it...you might want to read it first. Here's how my tablescaping plan unfolded... In 2006, Longaberger came out with some fun Wrought Iron Spider Legs that held a small or a large Autumn Treats Basket. I have both baskets and with the Spider Legs, they have been a fun decorating option for me the past several falls. Whenever I went to my Longaberger (affiliate link) storage area those Spider Legs called out to me. Maybe that was in the back of my mind … [Read more...]
Day 23 Today I looked ahead to November. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just 4 weeks away! Whooa....time is ticking away too quickly! I'm loving this fall, finally! But, before you know it Thanksgiving will be here! And 4 weeks later...Christmas! Too much goodness on the horizon while I'm in the midst of savoring the season and not wanting to look ahead just yet. Today it was 70 degrees and sunny. A real Indian Summer. Simply gorgeous. And pretty soon it will be time to order my turkey. Yikes! With that in mind I thought that maybe we should begin thinking about Thanksgiving. We … [Read more...]
Day 3 Last Friday night we were invited to the home of some new friends for dinner. We had the best time. When was the last time you asked someone over for dinner? All this month we're exploring how to live an extraordinary life. When we live life to the full we do things outside our comfort zone. We do crazy things like carve time out of our busy schedules to spend with friends. We clean the house, decide on a menu, figure out what to do with the pets, or even the kids...just so we can invite new or old friends to dinner. When was the last time you … [Read more...]
