Valentine’s Day

I don’t use a lot of red in my decor except during the Christmas holidays and until Valentine’s Day.  So, I’ve had some fun with the red but tomorrow all the red will be replaced with my favorite—pink.  We are not going out for dinner tonight because I’m sitting with mama.  I’m perfectly okay with my husband doing takeout and I’ll just add a salad.  Here’s our table set for dinner.

The ivory chargers are from Neiman Marcus, the red check plates and flatware are from Pottery Barn Kids, and the red bowls are from Dillard’s.  The red linen napkins are from Pier One and the cute Valentine linen cloths are from the Dollar Spot at Target.

The scale (which I painted antique white) is from Kirkland’s as are the Valentine heart signs.  The red gingham runner was custom made by Kristy, owner of The Sew Savvy—she has a store on Etsy.  Kristy makes my gingham runners, table napkins, and pillows.

The cheese cutter plate and appetizer plates are by Rae Dunn.

My husband’s response to my card display was “Why do we have an old ladder inside the house?”

I treated myself to a new Lilly Pulitzer candle in the ‘Tons of Fun’ print.  I love collecting the Lilly candles!

I wore this cute Collyn Raye gingham top on Sunday and, shhhhh, I wore it again today.  Collyn also has an Etsy store.

Of course, being matchy-matchy, I carried a red Kate Spade purse to go with my outfit.  I am a Kate Spade purse lover and will do a post later on my collection.

Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you for visiting my blog tonight.

The Pioneer Woman

Last night we stayed home to watch the College Football National Championship game.  We are not fans of Alabama or Georgia but cheered for Georgia to win because their Quarterback, Jake Fromm, is from Warner Robins.  Unfortunately, the Dawgs didn’t win but it was a good game.
I set the table for supper using some of my Pioneer Woman dishes and linens.

I love these cheerful dishes, placemats, and napkins.  The flatware is from Pottery Barn Kids.

I’ve been using a lot more red lately...maybe because of the holidays and Valentine’s Day coming up.  The plates and bowls with flowers and dots are brightening up my table during this dreary winter weather.

I decided against traditional Gameday foods and chose to prepare The Pioneer Woman’s Hamburger Soup with a Caesar salad and cornbread.  It’s been so cold and all I’ve been eating is soup.  I will probably be eating nothing but soup until Easter.

Here’s Rae Drummond’s Hamburger Soup recipe:
2 1/2 lbs ground chuck
1 whole large opinion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz ) can whole tomatoes
3 cups beef broth, plus more as needed
1 whole yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 whole carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
5 whole red potatoes, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons tomatoe paste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayennne pepper
In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the meat with the onion, celery, and garlic.  Remove the pot from the heat and drain off as much fat as you can.  Return the pot to the heat and add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir to combine then bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, then cover the pot and simmer the soup for 15-20 more minutes, until potatoes are tender but not overly mushy.  Soup should be somewhat thick, but if you would like for it to be more “soupy,” add 1 to 2 cups more broth OR hot water and heat through.  Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed.
Serves 12

Halloween at the Roost

Here's a few photos from Halloween. Yesterday morning we had some sweets...we were recuperating from the Florida State - Louisville game on Thursday night.

I put up a black Halloween tree this year.  Our porch is not as big as the one we had in Florida, but whatever!  (less to clean, right?)

I dressed up the skeleton to scare those visiting the guestroom.

Last night I served hot apple cider with cookies, and of course Merlot and Chardonnay to the adults...they need treats too!

We weren't really sure what the trick-or-treat turnout would be...but I had my sign ready.  Well, we had a huge crowd and it was freezing y'all!  (Note to self, have a fire pit in the front yard next year)  Also, I'll need to step up my game, because this neighborhood is a magnet for trick-or-treaters.  

Hope y'all had fun celebrating the spooky night!

Gameday Florida State vs The Citadel

We started out the morning ready for some football...



and some Chick-fil-A for Brunch!





I wore this dress from Mudpie available at Twelve Saturdays.  It was super comfy, which is more than I can say about the gold Revas!

First stop, The Wine Loft in Tallahassee for Merlot Hour with friends...



Next stop, on to The University Center Club at the stadium for more nibbles and sips!





Then it was time to watch some Seminole football.  Noles beat Citadel 37-12.

Go Noles!

Welcome To My New Front Porch!

I told y'all I was gonna paint the house yellow and I love the color--it's Benjamin Moore 'Humblegold Yellow'.  I've just replanted the front gardens so the plants and flowers are itty bitty.

I am embracing my Florida lifestyle, so flamingos are scattered everywhere!

Yes ma'am, I put these darling little babies out front!

The new porch gate has been installed...

It's "Flip Flop Season" y'all!

A bright-colored wreath was mandatory!

Flamingos and Flip Flops...

I painted the old bench a sweet blue and had some pillows made using the Lilly 'Hotty Pink First Impression' fabric...

I ended up using blue, pink, and yellow as my colors on the porch.

The cute flamingo pillow is from my BJ Joy...she found it at Ikea.

Seashells displayed on a HomeGoods find.

Last night we enjoyed Happy Hour, aka "Merlot Hour" on the porch.

Crap dip and cheeseball appetizers...

This was my view as the sun began to set over Florida.

The table set for supper--with pink, white, and blue.

The Lilly 'Hotty Pink First Impression' napkins were custom-made and adorned with light blue seahorse napkin rings.

Monogram mania!

My new rule for sipping beverages on the front porch!

Easiest French Toast Evah!

Bonjour y'all! Here's a very easy recipe for French Toast... Take one slice of bread and use the 'Bonjour Toast Press' ...cute, cute, cute with the Eiffel Tower! Add a spread of 'Confit of Violet Flowers' jelly...This jelly is a fragrant violet flower jelly and is also great to serve on French cheeses.

Voila! Easy peasy French Toast! Perfect to say Bonjour to an overnight guest!!!

My bff Teresa Jane gave me this press awhile back, but I found one online here.

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today! I have a darlin' giveaway coming up later this week...don't miss it!