Pumpkin Pie in a Jar

Last night was "Flamingo Ladies Book Club" night and the book was Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Not sure what the book was about 'cuz I didn't have a chance to read it! In our club, that's okay...we just socialize anyway. I think maybe we mentioned the name of the book and that was all that was said about it, but we had a very nice time...just a wee bit of gossiping and keeping up with what's going on in the neighborhood! I carried Pumpkin Pie in a Jar for the ladies...

If you haven't tried these, they are easy to prepare, delicious, and everyone loves the presentation. I used the Ball wide-mouth, half-pint jars. Then, I used pre-made pie crust to line the inside of the jars.

I then poured in the pumpkin pie mix {I used the recipe from the back of the the Libby canned pumpkin}.

I cut out round cardstock for the labels and added a pumpkin tag with a ribbon.

Not being sure what types of food would be served, I made little pouches for the serveware and attached more tags!
"HERE'S WHAT I WORE"
Skirt: Indigo blue denim by Lilly Pulitzer
Blouse: Peter Pan collar monogrammed in pink by Land's End
Cardi: Lime green by Lilly Pulitzer
Shoes: Orchid pink Revas by Tory Burch

ACCESSORIES:
Pocketbook: Pink courderoy Bermuda Bag by Lilly Pulitzer
Readers: Beachy pink by Lilly Pulitzer
Hair bow: Pink grosgrain
Cologne: Wink by Lilly Pulitzer
Nail varnish: Lovie Dovie by Essie
Lipstick: Laser Pink by Chanel
iPhone cover: Limeade Floater by Lilly Pulitzer
Shoes: Orchid pink Revas by Tory Burch

Cardi clip: Vintage clip by Trifari

Earrings and ring: Monogrammed with my "maiden monogram"--very old!

Wedding band: Rollring Trinity by Cartier

Watch: Oyster Perpetual by Rolex

{I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS TEXT IS UNDERLINED! CAN'T UNDO--UGH!!!}

Rainy Night in Florida...Limeade Floater by Lilly Pulitzer

It was "Bring your own" so I carried my Merlot in my Redneck Wine Goblet!
Thank you for visiting with me today. Yesterday, I used my LAST CAN OF PUMPKIN. Today, I'm on the hunt for more!

COCKTAILS, MOCKTAILS, AND DIPS

Last night I hosted Book Club at my house...the book was "False Victim", by Kathie Truitt. WOW! Y'all must read Kathie's book. It's based on a true story...her encounter with a female neighbor. When Kathie and her family move to this neighborhood outside of Washington, DC, the lady starts copying everything Kathie does...she buys a Mercedes just like Kathie's, dresses like Kathie, et cetera. Things get out of hand and the girl becomes a crazed stalker of Kathie. Good book y'all! You can read more about Kathie on her blog Hillbilly Debutante. Kathie and I have been blogging buddies for over a year and I believe she once wrote a comment encouraging me to photo myself in my "Outfits of the Day," instead of just showing a photo of the outfit hanging a mannequin. So there you go. It's Miss Kathie's fault that y'all have to look at all the photos of moi!!!

I decided to serve some of the dips that I offer on my Taste of Gourmet site. {Please excuse the photos...I was in a hurry to serve my guests and wasn't paying much attention to my camera} I set up the kitchen counter with Garlic Herb Dip, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Peach Pecan Pepper Preserves over cream cheeese, and Cinn-ful Fruit Dip. "HERE'S WHAT I WORE" Thanks to fellow book club friend Stacey...her Mama made me a cute Flamingo Apron.

Along with Chardonnay and Merlot, I served a "Signature Beverage" of Pomegranate Limeade...a refreshing non-alcoholic drink. {Recipe--Trader Joes!}

I spruced up the water bottles with cute party printable flamingo labels. Party printables are all the rage! They are an expensive way to bring your party theme together. I found these on Etsy at Pluff Mudd Studio.

My OCD-self had to use a flamingo dish towel to coordinate with my theme:)

The little flamingos grace the counterscape...

Jezebel Sauce over cream cheese and crackers...

Toffee Crunch Cheesecake Ball with crackers...

Cranberry Chutney with crackers...

Sweet Potato Muffins...

Get your party favors y'all! I always give my guests a little something to take home. This was not my first choice however! Lord have mercy, I bought a cute little flamingo cookie cutter and all the icing to decorate them with. Baked them. They turned out looking like dogs instead of flamingos. BOO HISS! Anywho, fast-thinking Miss Janice just sent the ladies home with a muffin for breakfast today. {Wrapped 'em up in cello and attached a little party printable tag with a pink ribbon--voila...baking issues solved.}

Now, as we enter Holy Week, I pray that y'all will remember it's not all about partying and days at the beach. I am going to remind myself that it's about prayer, devotions, and penance.

Thank you for visiting with me today!

Miss Janice's Weekend

Whew! I'm relaxing this morning after a busy weekend! Before I let y'all in on my goings-on, I first want to give you an update on my good friend Jan Taylor. If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you might remember that Jan was diagnosed with Stage 4 Liver Cancer this past January. Many prayers have been lifted up for Jan and her family. I'm happy to report that Jan is now in complete remission!!!!! If you live in the Tampa area, you may have heard Jan celebrating on Friday night...doing a very happy dance. I said a special prayer of thanks to God yesterday at church for this blessing and hope that y'all will join me and continue to pray for Jan! All I can say is "Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"

Yes, I've had a very busy and productive weekend. I kicked off my weekend a little late on Friday, due to the fact that I stayed up the previous night watching Big Brother After Dark until 3 A.M. Whoa! I'm beyond the years of staying up that late y'all, but I get so into that show and the lives of all the houseguests!!! So Friday, I ran errands, shopped at HomeGoods and picked up some cute Halloween stuff, and then had lunch at The Cracker Barrel. (picked up some cute Christmas stuff at The Cracker Barrel--yep, they have Christmas loot out now!)

"Here's What I Wore" The pink gingham skort (with precious white ric-rac trim) is by Lilly as is the pink tee shirt. I wore my white Lilly mules and carried a white Bermuda Bag pocketbook. I wore my pearl necklace, pearl stud earrings, and my 'Oyster Perpetual' Rolex watch. My ponytail was adorned with a white grosgrain ribbon bow and I used my white iPhone cover with the pink monogram decal.

That same day, Miss Coco took a car trip to the drive-thru at Wachovia. Since she always likes to look her best ('cuz people do talk), she wore a pink bandanna with ric-rac trim...just like the trim on mama's skirt and monogrammed, of course! This is another darling bandanna customized for Coco by LWhelanDesigns. Coco's top knot is adorned with a pink and green ribbon bow.

Saturday, I organized my office closet and all my gifting supplies. That took all day!!! I finished the day with a great workout at the gym and spent a fun-filled Saturday evening ironing! Oh, the life I lead.

Sunday, I was up early and off to church. "Here's What I Wore" The lime green linen shift is perfect for church (I bought this from Appleseed's years ago). I wore my black ballet flats, which are adorned with pearls...I love these shoes! They are by Cochni. I carried my black Chanel '2.55' pocketbook with the silver hardware and wore my pearl necklace and pearl stud earrings. My ponytail was adorned with a black and white gingham ribbon bow. My iPhone cover (my iPhone was of course in the manners mode during church) was black with a white monogram decal. My perfume of choice was 'Coco Mademoiselle', by Chanel and my lipstick was 'Laser Pink', by Chanel. After church I lunched at The Cracker Barrel--again, and did some more Christmas shopping!

My Bookclub group went on the road Sunday afternoon...to see Eat, Pray, Love! "Here's What I Wore" If you have been following my blog for awhile, you must know that I love these coveralls by Lilly in the 'Chilean Avenue' pattern. I wore a pink Ralph Lauren oxford shirt underneath...'cuz it's always so cold in theatres. Since summer is quickly coming to an end, I wanted to wear my pink and green monogrammed Bonnano sandals and carry my pink Lilly Bermuda Bag, monogrammed in white. I wore my light green Lilly cap and a pink grosgrain ribbon bow adorned my ponytail.

I must tell you that I did not LOVE Eat, Pray, Love. I thought it was incredibly boring! That's just my opinion. :-( I did enjoy my must-have buttered popcorn and diet coke!!!

Now, Miss Coco didn't get to go to the theatre, but she did get to go the park for walk and to be seen. "Here's What She Wore" Her bandanna is the 'Chilean Avenue' Lilly print...just like mama's coveralls. She is wearing a pink collar and her leash is of course pink. Her topknot is adorned with a pink barrette. Trust me y'all...she loves to get dressed up!!!

I came home after the movie for just a bit, then headed out the door again for our Bookclub meeting (well, cocktail social hour is more like it!) "Here's What I Wore" The 'Nantucket Patch' Krista dress is by Lilly and I just love it for summertime. I wore my white summer Land's End cardigan as a sweater throw and wore my white Jack Rogers Sandals.

All the girls in the Flamingo Ladies Bookclub have personalized goblets...so, of course I took mine. The hostess with the mostest, Stacey, had a great spread of hors d' oeuvres, wine offerings, and a "Signature Beverage" of Blackberry Wine & Champagne.

I carried a flamingo-theme treat as a hostess gift for Stacey. I found this cute little pink flamingo dish at HomeGoods, I think...

Filled it with Key Lime Straws (which I had tons of 'em left from last week's dinner party)...

Wrapped it in cello, tied it up with a lime green polka dot ribbon, and attached a pink flamingo decal! Mama always says, "Don't show up at someone's door empty-handed!"

So now, I must get busy and answer some e-mails. Thank you so much for visiting with me today and I hope you have a wonderful week!!!

I'M OFF TO BOOK CLUB

Tonight I'm off to my book club meeting--The Flamingo Ladies Book Club of Tradition! We will talk about the book we all read, "Stealing Buddha's Dinner," enjoy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, and socialize!

"Here's What I'm Wearing." These are my ultra comfy jeans, 'The Saturday Jean', by Ralph Lauren and the white blouse is from Coldwater Creek. It's quite chilly here in South Florida, so I'm wearing my hot pink pashima shawl.

To jazz up the outfit a bit, I'll wear black leopard print mules and carry my Chanel 2.55 pocketbook with the silver hardware. My earrings are silver disks trimmed in gold--of course, monogrammed--and I'll wear a choker with the matching monogrammed pendant. I'll wear my 'Oyster Perpetual' watch, by Rolex along with my 'Return to Tiffany' silver bracelet, by Tiffany and my rollring wedding band, by Cartier. I'll also wear one of my silver rings, by Chanel. My ponytail will be adorned with a black monogrammed ponytail cover. My fragrance of choice for the evening...Burberry!

Y'all know I'm not about to show up at someone's home with a gift. I found a cute flamingo-motif plate at HomeGoods, added a layer of green shred, and included some breakfast breads--so my hostess will have something to look forward to in the morning! {Bannana Nut Bread & Chocolate Bannana Nut Bread} I wrapped it all up in clear cello and added a hot pink ribbon. The package is embellished with a cute hot pink flamingo decal. My sweet blogging/twitter/FB friend Margaret at 2PreppyGirls sent some of these to me and I'm happy to share them with my Flamingo Ladies!

I'm off now and thank you so much for stopping by.

Flamingo Ladies Book Club...Being Dead is No Excuse!

Last night I hosted the monthly "Flamingo Ladies Book Club" at my house. Being the hostess, I was given the opportunity to choose the book. Hmmmmmm, what to choose? Well, one of my favorite books is "Being Dead is No Excuse," by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays.

We Southerners take funerals and graveyards seriously. This is the official Southern ladies guide to throwing the perfect funeral--it's just hilarious y'all! But first, "Here's What I Wore." These cute little slacks were given to me by my friend Joy...they are lime green with pink flamingos--just too cute for my "Flamingo Book Club." The white cotton turtleneck is by Ralph Lauren and the pink cable knit sweater is also by Ralph Lauren.
I just love the pattern...this is the Sandra Lee in me!
I wore my pink Lilly mules {after I realized I still had on my night slippers when the first guest had arrived}, my Ralph Lauren pearl stud earrings, my Cartier roll ring wedding band, a pink grosgrain ribbon adorned my usual ponytail, and Lilly *Wink* was my fragrance of choice!

Nobody in the world eats better than a bereaved Southerner. Many Delta cooks keep their pantry stocked with staples to prepare funeral-appropriate dishes, when needed. This book reminds us of all the appropriate dishes for a funeral reception, some of which I prepared for the book club ladies. It also lets us know which foods would be totally inappropriate and tacky to take to the bereaved; foods such as: A leafy green salad--no comfort in this dish! A cobb salad--way too high falutin! Ribs--Good Lord, don't even think about taking this dish to a bereaved family...how tacky!

Need to know which hymns are appropriate funeral hymns?--{Oh God our Help in Ages Past} and which are inappropriate (Battle Hymn of the Republic}.

Not sure about "the right funeral flower to send?" Choose Casablanca lillies or delicate pink roses over carnations or gladiolus!

All Southern ladies have a summer and winter funeral frock hanging in the closet at all times. I can tell you that my mama, Miss Pauline, has always carried a funeral frock with her when she travels out of town...always!

When I lived in California, I was a member of a book club there and we always served food mentioned in the book we read. So, I prepared food that is mentioned in the book--perfectly proper food for a Southern funeral reception!

{Y'all simply have to excuse the rumpled tablecloth and that ghastly cord in the right-hand corner! Y'all just have to!} All the appropriate funeral reception foods are here...the centerpiece--pale pink roses, oh-so proper!


HERE'S MY MENU:

Cheese Straws, the cocktail snack of the South...

Salted Pecans, a favorite at all Southern receptions...

Artichoke Spread, another popular cocktail accompaniment in the South.

Pimiento Cheese is known as the "Southern Pate." It's a funeral staple...the paste that holds the South together!

Stuffed Eggs are associated so closely with death that anytime you see the lady of the house getting down the egg plate, you might well ask, 'Who died?'

There's always a Ham Platter at a Southern funeral reception.

Southern Fried Chicken "is traditionally served when the preacher comes to Sunday lunch," however, it's very at-home at funeral receptions.

"Grits is a comfort food that has helped to heal many a Southern soul."

"Nothing whispers sympathy quite like a Frozen Pea Casserole with canned bean sprouts and mushroom soup."

Liketa Died Potatoes are the last thing a snoot would take to somebody's house, but the first thing to be eaten!"

Cheese Biscuits...comfort food at its' best!

Coconut Cake...just sooooo Southern y'all! Another pink Christmas tree y'all. This one is decorated with little pink flamingos--party favors for my guests!
Each guest took home a flamingo ornament...attached to their "leftover" container!

Funeral Etiquette
Remember that death, like all other life-cycle events, has etiquette rules that should be observed. These etiquette rules simply must be followed...'cuz y'all know--people will talk!
~When learning of someone's death, you should contact the family immediately to offer your condolences.
~In the South, as soon as the word is out that someone has passed away, casseroles and other appropriate funeral foods are dispensed to the grieving family--that's just what we do.
~Obituaries in the South are a little different from those you might read in other parts of the Country--people "pass away", "enter into eternal rest,"are called to eternal glory," or they "slip away suddenly." Some Southerners feel the word "death" is just too tacky.
~Southern ladies have been known to be buried in an evening gown, prom dress, or a lace peignoir.
~Dark conservative clothing should be worn to the funeral home and to the funeral service.
~Pull your vehicle over to the side of the road when a funeral procession is passing by--this shows respect for the deceased person and for those who are grieving.

The Sympathy Note and the Thank-You Note:
Even if you send flowers and attend the funeral, you should still send a sympathy note. A proper sympathy note soothes. Notes are almost as important as food and Southern mothers work hard to ensure that their children grow up able to write a good one! They know they will be judged on this. It is fine to say how difficult it is to find the words to express your feelings. If you are sincere, offer your help in a sympathy note. Avoid phrases such as "Please let me know if there is anything I can do," instead, offer to supply a meal or run an errand for the family. Phrases such as "Please know that we are thinking about you and you have our deepest sympathies" are appropriate in a condolence note.

Thank-you notes are sent out as soon as possible to those who sent flowers, sent food, made donations, or participated in the funeral. Of course, it is acceptable to send a thank-you note to anyone who made a special trip to attend the funeral or sent a sympathy card. It is never considered wrong to send a thank-you note!

So, if you want to know what happens the minute a Southerner passes away, read this book! Thank you for stopping by today...I'll be back on Wednesday with photos of one last Christmas tablescape and Christmas tree.

LOVING AUTUMN!

Well, it was definitely sweater weather for moi yesterday, when I attended my "Flamingo Ladies Book Club" last night! I've been so busy lately and have been such a bad blogger. I promise to stop by and visit with all y'all and answer my e-mails A.S.A.P.!

So husband snapped this photo of me on our front porch as I was leaving..."Here's What I Wore" The black turtleneck is from who-knows-where...probably ten years ao. The skirt is the "Tulah Indigo Blue Denim Skirt," from Lilly. (The Autumn Tree is by Miss Janice).


I carried by Chanel 2.55 pocketbook, secured my ponytail with a Burberry scrunchie, and wore my Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch, along with my Cartier roll ring wedding band and the matching Cartier earrings. Here I am in a very Prissy-fied pose holding my gift for the hostess--from my October "Friendship Gift" stash!


My black tights are by Hue and the ballet flats are by Chanel.


The book for the month was Good in Bed, by Jennifer Weiner. It's a great book about a "fat girl"--she had a loser-daddy and a lousy former boyfriend. Read it...it's good!


Here's the Book Club hostess, Stacey Gilfillan...

Along with spiced apple cider, Stacey served a great "Signature Beverage," Rose Sangria...with freshly squeezed lemons, limes, and oranges! Awesome beverage!

Here's a peek at some fall-erizing I've been doing around "The Roost."

Pumpkins in the palms...

Some mums...

Little spooky black bird...
Autumn floral...I like to bring out my little feather wreath during this time of year...
Cornacopia on the sideboard...
Bunnies and pumpkins...
Fluffin' up the rooster...
Fallin' up the top of the frig...
Embellishing Miss Coco's portrait!
Not sure how Puff Kitty got in here...
Y'all have already seen the Autumn "Friendship Gift" tree...
Yes ma'am, it's Fall y'all!

Thank you so much for visiting with me today!