Day of the Dead Ofrenda

November 4, 2019November 3, 20194 Comments

Good morning! Can you believe we are already in November? Some of the days kind of drag by, but the month is gone before I know it! I have some exciting news for you! Lauren and I have joined in with 50 other bloggers with some great Christmas ideas and the series will start this Friday!! I can’t wait to see what ideas everyone has come up with. There is sure to be something for everyone! So come back on Friday for the kick-off!

Did you decorate or go trick-or-treating for Halloween? I don’t usually do too much decorating, just a few pumpkins, but this year Lauren helped me set up an Ofrenda, similar to the one from the Disney movie Coco.

We have a 99 Cent Store in our town and we found so much Day of the Dead stuff there! Now, ours is not as elaborate as Disney’s (!), but I think it turned out pretty good!

I don’t know much about this celebration, but the little bit I have learned is so interesting. I think the whole idea behind it is so cool. Remembering our relatives and our past is so important to who we are. I hope to learn more each year.

I found pictures of the Coco characters online and printed them out to place on our Ofrenda.

I love the little spirit animal! A dog, of course!

Lots of candles and flowers fill it all in.

I love the designs on the jar candles! So perfect!

Do you recognize any of the characters! Mama Coco is at the bottom of the picture.

Does your family set up an Ofrenda? I would love to know about it! Thank you so much for stopping by today! Remember, on Friday, starts Christmas!!

It’s Fall! 10 Reasons To Like This Season

September 9, 2019September 10, 2019Leave a comment

Good morning! Well it’s fall on the blog whether you are ready or not! I have never been a huge fan of fall, but I think it’s because I know winter follows. I don’t like the cold at all. But this year I decided to find things I like about fall and not worry about what comes after. So here is my list:

Pumpkins-I love all the different colors pumpkins come in now, especially the pastels! I love all the different shapes too. They are so fun to decorate with.

2. Cooler weather-not too cold. Around here, it’s usually still warm during the day and then cooler at night which is really nice.

3. Snuggling under blankets-Along with the cooler nights, comes snuggling with blankets and pups and not getting hot.

4. Cute jackets and pretty scarves- I like having some new things to wear other than tank tops and shorts, but not having to wear lots of layers just to stay warm. I am excited to pull out some of those jackets and other cooler weather items put away from last year.

5. Lighting candles- Fall scents are my favorite! Summer just seems too hot to light candles, so it’s nice to have a few lit around the house again, especially because they smell so good.

6. Crunching leaves- I love to see the leaves falling and hearing them crunching under my feet when I go for walks.

7. Holidays- I am looking forward to the upcoming holidays and the time spent with family and friends. We make new memories and remember times spent together in the past.

8. Sausage and corn chowder- Mmmm! Just typing it makes me hungry! This is so delicious and easy. It is the most requested recipe in my house.

9. Having a fire and roasting marshmallows-We have a fire pit, so it’s nice to gather around it and roast some marshmallows and make s’mores.

10. Festivals- There are several different festivals and activities held around here that signal fall. Apple Festival, Calico Festival, Hot Air Balloon Festival, county fairs, and the list goes on.

Whew! I found ten things! That should carry me through. I am determined to just enjoy the season I am in. How about you? Do you love fall?

Pink and Gold Valentine Tablescape to Share With Your Sweetheart

February 11, 2019February 10, 2019Leave a comment

Good morning! It’s Valentine week! I decided to set up a little table for two in front of our little faux fireplace. It’s a nice cozy place to have a special dinner.

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Since this is Valentine’s week, I thought I would share a sweet story with you.

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A couple of summers ago, my daughter and I were driving home on a very hot summer day, when we spotted a dog running loose in a church yard. Well, being the dog lovers we are, we turned around to go back. There was no way we were going to leave it out there.

valentine tablescape pink, gold and shite hearts, flowers, candles

After we turned around, we saw another dog running loose in the church yard too. I called my husband, who was just getting home from work, to bring some leashes and some water for the dogs.

valentine tablescape chevron dog plate valentine tablescape dog plate

My daughter and I walked over to where we saw the dogs, and started calling for them. The road next to the church is very busy, so we wanted to be very careful and not scare the dogs into the street.

valentine tablescape pink, white and gold

One of the dogs came right up to my daughter, and when he walked up, another dog popped out of the bushes. Now there were three!

valentine tablescape candles and hearts

We were able to catch the two dogs pretty easily and placed them in the air-conditioned truck with water. The third dog was a little more difficult to catch, but she was just scared and finally decided she wanted to be with her other friends and allowed us to catch her.

valentine tablescape letters and cards

We brought them all home and found the home for one of the dogs immediately, but the other two we ended up taking to our local animal shelter. They had no micro-chips and so we left them there for the required days until we could take them to our friends’ no-kill shelter. Both dogs were really sweet and we know they would be adopted quickly.

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Once they were at the shelter, I was able to visit them quite often. The little girl dog went into heat and was put into the infirmary until she could be fixed.

valentine tablescape faux rose centerpiece

I would go into the infirmary when I visited, take my girl out of the kennel, and just hold her in my lap. She was so sweet! She would sit with her head on my shoulder for at least 45 minutes and not even try to get down or run around.

valentine tablescape dog plate rose napkin

Needless to say, I was falling in love.

valentine tablescape faux pink roses centerpiece

I talked it over with my husband, but he was concerned about how our older dog would react to bringing another dog home. We already had our 12 year old and two 2 year olds. Do we really want another one?

valentine tablescape heart pillow

I knew my husband was right and so whenever I went to the shelter, I tried to stay away from the little girls’ kennel. It was so hard! She would bark and whine at me every time she saw me!

valentine tablescape candles, flowers

I was trying to be so strong and tell myself she would find the perfect furever home. The first weekend in August, my daughter and I went to visit my sister for a couple of nights. On the last day, it was my anniversary.

valentine tablescape valentine mantle

Around noon, I got a text from my husband with a picture of a leash and collar at the shelter and my husband saying Happy Anniversary! I did ask, just to be clear, is there a dog attached to that? The answer, yes! My husband knew how much I loved that little girl, and had gone and adopted her for me.

valentine tablescape rose centerpiece

Here is my sweet Magnolia Grace! Her first name is the name of the street we live on and Grace is the name of the church we found her at. She is still the sweetest girl and loves to cuddle. Just look at this sweetie!

Maggie is so full of love! She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She has been the perfect addition to our home. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Red, White and Blue Outdoor Dining

July 2, 2018July 1, 20182 Comments

Good morning! We celebrate our country’s independence this week! Do you have big 4th of July celebrations where you are? I’m not even sure what we are doing this year LOL! Last year, all of the neighbors were outside eating and having fun and then lighting off tons of fireworks. We didn’t even have to go to our city’s firework show because we had our own! We will probably do the same this year.

I set up this little tablescape on my back patio this week to celebrate the 4th, but it could be for any summer get together! I don’t have much red, but I was able to pull out a few pieces and it all worked together.

The red and white plates are actually metal. They are pretty cool! I layered my blue and white plates on top along with a blue and white napkin. I used a piece of red ribbon to tie it up and added a fun little pinwheel!

Seashells are the perfect summer touch!

I layered a blue and white striped runner and a red, white and blue striped place-mat in the middle. A few more seashells, candles and bubbles keep it simple.

We still have a lot of work to do in our backyard. We would like to replace the fence and add some plants around the edge. I would also like to paint the patio. I love using blue on the ceiling.

I made the farmhouse beaded chandelier and the recycled pallet table and they add the perfect touch to the patio. I used a dropcloth to make the curtains. Using clip curtain rings makes it easy to use any kind of material.

I can’t wait to spend some time out here when the evenings cools down.

Thank you for following along! I hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July!

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Casual Blue and White Beach Tablescape

May 21, 2018May 16, 20185 Comments

Good morning! I haven’t been here for a few weeks, so it’s good to be back! The end of the year school stuff is wearing me out! But I have a few projects I’m working on so hopefully I can get them done and posted in the next few weeks!

I am really looking forward to summer and my dining room table reflects that. I love the beach look, so I decorated around that theme.

Blue and white are the perfect colors for summer! I use it along with the turquoise that I love so much. Of course, lanterns make an awesome centerpiece, especially filled with pieces of driftwood.

I picked up these little glass votive holders at a thrift store for just .25! I added some sand and glitter around the edge and then placed a candle in a little more sand placed in the bottom.

I love the glass floats and have started a little collection of them.

So many of my items have been picked up from Goodwill, but are Target items. The placemats, napkins and navy blue bags were all purchased at Goodwill. I love that I can get new items for a fraction of the price.