Well, after 875 miles in the car with two dogs and one kitty and way too much fast food, I have finally arrived at my new home.



I know I mentioned in a previous post that this was going to be my new home, but...it's not.
This is my new home...


I just love this house. I showed the blue home in previous post as my new home because the offer we placed on the green house in July was accepted then fell through at the last minute. It was a "short sale"--but there was nothing short about it. It was a nightmare! A "short sale" is offered by the seller's bank just before a home goes into foreclosure. At the last minute the short sale was called off by the seller's bank and we needed a house (since our furniture was being shipped to Florida), so we signed a rental agreement on the blue house. Then, of course, the seller's bank said they would go through with the short sale after all. It was a fiasco! I really think that banks would now rather let homes go into foreclosure because they must be receiving something back from the "bailout." Anyway, we got what we wanted.
We are naming our new home "The Roost." Over the garage there is a full apartment, which will be used as a gameroom by my husband and all his rowdy friends--he's calling it "The Romper Room at the Roost."
This home is located in Tradition in Port St. Lucie, Florida, which is a village built to resemble an old fashioned neighborhood, complete with restaurants, shops, a doggy park, and a town hall where I may present some etiquette programs in the future.
Here are some of the shops and the town hall...



Thanks to all of you for your comments while I was away. I look forward to visiting your sites and catching up with each one of you.

So, please leave your message--thank you very much!

The mover's are coming to get my computer soon and then I'm off to my new home in Florida! The boxes are packed and the Jack Russell, Yorkie, and Kitty are loosing it! Please think about me on my 16-hour journey with these little houligans. I will be back blogging probably the weekend after Thanksgiving.

I hope you all have wonderful Thanksgiving Day:)

Now you are set to shop 'till you drop! After a long morning of browsing the shops on rue Saint-Honore and rue Cambon, relax and enjoy an Afternoon Tea in Paris. The French love to take tea in the afternoon and the tea foods I'm serving are surely enjoyed by Parisians everyday!



*Paris Tea is available at Harney Teas


Afternoon Tea is also referred to as "Low Tea" because it may be served in the parlor with guests seated on the sofa or chairs and the tea served from a low coffee table. I've enjoyed Afternoon Tea at the Ritz and I was served in this fashion. When you are enjoying tea in the parlor, just remember that the teacup and saucer are married and should never be more than twelve inches apart. Your serviette should be opened completely and placed just above your knees where you might also place your tea plate.


Enjoy breakfast, a little shopping, and Afternoon Tea in Paris--or, you could just go to McDonald's for a sausage biscuit, fight the crowd and shop at Target, and then have lunch at Chick-fil-A! Whatever you do, I hope you have fun on Black Friday!

In yesterday's post, I told you about the book Sentimental Living by Alda Ellis. Ms. Ellis likes to give out "friendship gifts" to those who visit her home. I think that's a very gracious idea and I am keeping these bags of party mix right by front door to give out to guests during Autumn. My husband loves this mix and so does his Pinochle group! It is quite tasty and easy to prepare. The recipe* is from my mother-in-law, Mary Gibson.




*Recipe for Mary Gibson's Party Mix
2 cups corn chex
2 cups wheat chex
2 cups rice chex
1 1/2 cup nuts
2 cups broken pretzels
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
Garlic salt to taste
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix dry ingredients, blend melted butter and Worcestershire sauce, and pour over mixture. Stir all in a 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Add garlic salt and mix well. Bake one hour and stir every 15 minutes.

The thoughtful guest always brings a gift for the hostess. My mother taught me that you should never arrive at someone's door empty handed. The gift says "Thank you for inviting me." Of course, afterwards, a thank-you note should be sent to the host/hostess, thanking them for their hospitality. Here are some gifting ideas you might consider for your host/hostess:



*Recipe for Alda Ellis's Pumpkin Bread
3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup water
1 cup salad oil
2 cups (16-oz. can) pumpkin
1 cup pecans, chopped
Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, water, oil, and pumpkin. Stir until blended. Add nuts and mix well. Butter and flour three 1-pound coffee cans. Pour mixture evenly into cans. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool slightly in cans and turn out on cooling rack to cool completely.

~This is a quick gift if you are in a rush--whip up some pumpkin cookies, wrap them in cello, and put them back into the pumpkin mix can. Attach a gift tag (found in Sentimental Living) and print the cookie recipe on the back.



~If you are an overnight guest in someone's home, Ms. Ellis's book, The Gentle Art of Hospitality, is a sweet gift to leave behind for the gracious hostess. Simply wrap the book with a ribbon and leave it on the bed. Don't forget to inscribe it with your message to Make it Memorable.




When I was young I would always ask my mother "Why do you always take something to people when we go to their house?" She said "That's what my mother taught me to do...no matter how small the gift--take something"!

Well, here's Miss Kara's picnic basket loaded with girly plates, savories, tea and teapot, cups & saucers, linens, silver flatware, flowers, and a happy gift--or that's what it looks like to me:)

Sometime this week, maybe Thursday or Friday, the moving van will load all my earthly possessions and take them to my new home--in South Florida. (Please keep your fingers crossed that it will happen--thank you very much)! Yes, I started a blog in the middle of a major move and during the holiday season! I simply must be crazy... I will still be blogging until the end of the week and have already photographed some tablescapes to post before I move.

After about ten visits later, I guess you could say that I'm a regular. As I was enjoying the Southern delacacies during my last visit, I had to ask myself why I was so attracted to this restaurant. Then I realized that it's because this is the food that we Southerners grew up on a "Mama and 'Em's". It's the food we don't prepare for ourselves because we don't have the time or talent. Now this food is not for your uppity crowd--there's cabbage cooked in bacon grease, turnip greens in fat back, corn that is creamed and sauteed in butter...just that good 'ole food Southerners enjoy. Another thing I noticed is that everybody is all about "Thank You, Excuse Me, and You're Welcome" in that place. You just have to be Southerner to "get it."


The whole experience reminded me of these new t-shirts that are being sold all over the South--"How's Ya Mama and "Em?" The artist, Rhonda Rayborn, designs these darling t-shirts featuring the saying "How's Ya Mama and 'Em?", which is a really a southern way of asking about your Mama and the rest of your family. When I spoke with Ms. Rayborn, I couldn't believe that she lives four or five houses down the street from another well-known artist, my cousin--J. Kim Sessums, M.D. There's a whole lot of talent on that beautiful street in the small town of Brookhaven, Mississippi.



"How's Ya Mama and 'Em?" is the registered trademark and brainchild of Ms. Rayborn. Growing up in the antebellum town of Natchez, Mississippi, Rhonda's grandmothers taught her how to be a southern lady. She said that "Weekends spent with her grandmothers were like attending a southern hospitality university, and that whenever she was afraid of some bully-girls on the school bus, her grandmothers would say, "They're just like you, only you're prettier!"




All of her charming t-shirts are based on sayings that are native to the South; i. e., "Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I need to walk back by?" (Oh my Lord, if I weren't married, I would buy that one in every color)! and "Mess with this Mississippi girl...you'll be messin' with the whole trailer park"! The one I chose was "Hey y'all, how's ya mama and 'em?"


You can purchase these cute t-shirts online at Rhonda Rayborn's website, or call her at 601.757.7388.








Since Paula Deen, the Queen of Southern Cuisine, now has her own tableware, I decided to create a very casual tablescape, featuring her china and linens in the Dot Crazy pattern. The menu consists of comfort foods just like you would typically have at "Mama and 'Em's" house. These are the foods that my mama always fixed for Sunday Dinner (the Southern term for lunch--held right after you get home from church on Sunday morning) when I was growing up. She still fixes the same food for me when I go home to visit. Notice that there's no fancy centerpiece here--just the salt and pepper shakers and the food on the table, served very Southern--family style.












Sunday Dinner at "Mama and 'Em's", featuring Paula Deen's tableware--"Dot Crazy" salad plate, placemat, and napkin. The dinner plate is by Daniel Cremieux--"St. Remy Brown."

If you are ever in the Memphis area, be sure to try Miss Paula's restaurant. It will be sure to make your trip Southern...and Memorable. Thank you for stopping by today. Tomorrow I am participating in Trim-A-Tree Thursday, which will be hosted by The Southern Hostess. I'm not sure what I'll be showing, but I'll come up with something.

Moving away from the holiday scene, my tablescape today is perfect for that Diva in you. Diva is the theme for this table setting and it would be a cute setting for a diva wannabe, a diva-in-training, or any practicing diva.




The chair decorations are small bustiers with pink hydrangeas and pink bows.

Send your divas-in-waiting away with a party favor. I found petite bustiers similar to my centerpiece and chair decos, tied a pink ribbon around the waist, and attached a tea pendant charm, which can be worn on a choker necklace...just a little something to remind them of my "Diva Tea."

I would like to introduce to y'all a friend of mine. Her name is Debbie Sisk and she's the owner of Rosebriar Dining, in Eads, Tennessee (just outside of Memphis). I first met Debbie through a friend who called me and said "Would you like to go to lunch out in Eads with a group of ladies?" I asked "Where is Eads and what restaurant are we going to?" It was then she told me about Debbie...She caters afternoon teas, luncheons, and dinner parties in her home. Hmmmmmm, I thought, why not? After that first visit, I was hooked. I told everyone I knew about this Debbie Sisk lady. She cooks the most fabulous gourmet meals and serves guests at her dining table, which comfortably seats about 16 people. The recipes consist of fresh ingredients and are served using her finest dinnerware. Debbie and I were a perfect match and partnered together to present Tea and Dining Etiquette programs in her home during the past year.
Debbie is the epitome of a Southern lady; she loves her family and home and she loves to entertain and shop. She has been serving guests in her home for over 14 years and does no advertising--just word of mouth from one Southern Lady to another. Yesterday she held her annual Holiday Open House--clothing, holiday gifts, jewelry, tea, and foods were all elegantly displayed throughout her home. Over 300 ladies attended the event and enjoyed tasting soups, dips, cakes and a hot beverage of apple cider with red hots--they also shopped like Southern recessionistas.
I almost screamed when I saw these cute wellies. I knew I had to have them! Thank goodness she had my size, 'cuz I love them. If you would like to get a pair (they are $39.95), Debbie will be glad to send them to you. Her contact information will be listed later in this post.

I had to fight for these cute little containers...and a holiday tablescape was born when I saw them! Stay tuned for that in December.

First, I will show some photos of Debbie's house taken during the past summer, then I will show the photos from yesterday's event.













When we were almost home, we stopped at the Home Decor Store in Southaven, Mississippi and I picked up another item for that holiday tablescape-in-planning I mentioned earlier in the post.


With all that party food, shopping, and gossiping, the day was over. But it was perfect!

I am so glad you stopped by today; I'm off now to enjoy some warm pumpkin scones and hot tea with my friend Kara.