Dessert with the Neighbors

The invitation said, "Come & Meet Your Neighbors". Our goal was to get several of our neighbors together to at least meet & get familiar with others who live nearby on our street. I can't say it was a smashing success, since we invited 16 familes & 4 came out. Only one called to say they couldn't make it, but thought it was a great idea. The other 11 didn't respond at all. I think times have changed & people are just not as neighborly anymore. I remember when folks used to take time to get to know their neighbors & be friendly, but it seems that today, most just don't have the time or inclination to do that. And, it's OK...I'm glad we made the effort anyway. We have 2 great neighbors on either side of us who came over & we enjoyed visiting with them. They are both good friends with each other anyway & their kids are in school together. A sweet older couple in their 80's came from down the street. One other guy came over from across the street with his 2 young sons, but his wife was exhausted from giving a birthday party, so didn't make it. I'm glad we tried it, although I may not be that ambitious again in hosting another one. Maybe something smaller next time, with those who seem to be interested in doing that.

The cheesecake turned out spectacular, even though I haven't made it in years. It's really a great recipe, so I'll share it with you. It's one of those recipes that you might not use but every so often, but it's a good one when you really want to go all out. This one is the real deal...New York style Italian cheesecake. I got this recipe at least 25 years ago from one of my first boss's wife. They were both Italian. So, I've kept it in my recipe stash all this time & get it out on special occasions. Several years ago, I bought a springform pan from Pampered Chef just so I could make cheesecake!

Italian Cheesecake

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 stick butter (unsalted)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Roll into ball & mash into bottom of springform pan. Bake at 350* for 20 min.

Cake:
1 lb. Ricotta cheese
1 lb. sour cream
1 lb. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (melted)
3 large eggs
3 Tbls. flour
4 1/2 Tsps. vanilla
Dash of grated lemon rind
4 1/2 Tsps. lemon juice

Mix starting slow speed, ingredients in order given. Finish at high speed for 10 min. Grease pan sides with butter & flour. Pour batter into pan & bake 350* for 1 hr. Turn off & leave in oven for 1 hr. Refrigerate overnight.

If you're lucky enough to have one of those super-duper Kitchenaid mixers, this will be a lot easier. I am not one of the lucky ones...I have a little hand mixer, so that 10 min. mixing at high speed is a challenge, but I promise....it's worth it!

And now, for the weekend yardsale news...I'm sure you're all sitting on the edge of your seat for the latest, right? LOL Well, it was a fun saling weekend. I took a friend with me & we hit a big neighborhood called Brook Highlands. I went last year & was not disappointed & this year didn't disappoint either. My friend really scored on some nice things and she really needs a lot for her house, so I helped her find some great things.

This week, I bought mostly little things, but it was fun just the same.

Cute little top for $1.00, which I wore to church on Sunday & also to the dessert gathering at our house. It's too cute!

Ahhh, jewelry...I love me some costume jewelry & for the last several years, most of my jewelry has come from yardsales. 2 bracelets & a pair of earrings, $1.00 each.

Found a really neat shelf from a little old man who made woodwork in his garage workshop. He had a nice wooden birdhouse, but it was a lot more than we wanted to spend. This shelf is solid wood & he was selling it for $2.00.

Brass rabbit tray, 50 cents. I'll be bronzing this cutie with my Sophisticated Finishes bronze paint.

Gold bookends for $1.00...these will get bronzed too.

Like new, Dooney & burke leather wallet, $3.00. I thought about reselling this, but I think I'll keep it for myself!

And check out the cute little birdy for 50 cents. He's a perfect addition to my front door pocket. He's made of real feathers too.

Found my hubby a couple of like-new golf shirts and also some samples of Estee Lauder for myself, lipstick & mascara, all brand new of course, for 50 cents each. I'm kicking myself now for not buying more mascara.

All in all, a very successful yardsale day!

Friday Inspiration: Timeless & Classic...Black & White

There's always been something really attractive to me about black & white color schemes. I find myself drawn to those colors in magazines & fabrics so many times, so I thought I'd share a few of my inspiration pics that I've found in many of the catalogs & magazines that I receive. I don't know about you, but once you get on one catalog mailing list, others join the bandwagon, so now I have catalogs galore. I love to page through them looking at all the pretty pictures & I always keep a few around, tossing the older ones as others take their place in my basket. In no particular order, here are a few beautiful black & whites for your Friday enjoyment! Thought I'd join the Friday inspiration bandwagon this week...might not always get to it, but this week I did.

If I had another undecorated room, I just might have to do black & white in there. I've been particularly drawn to the black/white damask pattern that is out now & think it is positively yummy. I know several of you agree with me on that one! The great thing about black & white is all the different colors you can put with it too...to change it up & make it totally different, but there's just something so classic about the combo of black & white.

From Winterthur:
From Horchow:

From Linensource:
From Southern Accents, 7-02:
From Winterthur:
From Winterthur:
From Art & Artifact:

From Ballard Designs:
From Ballard Designs:
From BHG:
From Frontgate:

Have a wonderful sunny weekend everyone!

A Welcome Wall Pocket

Here's the wall pocket I found yardsaling ($3) a couple weeks ago. I decided since it's black & the door's black, I needed a pop of color to really bring this area alive, so I got some pretty faux red orchid stems & a really pretty yellowy lily, added a few other fillers & here it is. I love the little birdsnest. Hobby Lobby had their florals on sale this week, so I got it all for 50% off...gotta love that. I had to find a way to hang this on the metal door & found a magnet hook at Michaels that worked perfectly.
We are hosting a dessert party here at our house this Sunday night for a few neighbors (for us all to meet & get to know each other) & I wanted something pretty on the door. We've invited about 15 families, so we'll see how this turns out. I think we may have a house full! I'm making a homemade New York style cheesecake with fresh strawberries & everyone is bringing their favorite desserts. I'll let you know how it goes!

Serendipity & Yardsales

I really didn't plan on hitting any yardsales this weekend (no neighborhood sales near me), but spotted an estate sale in the paper Friday night close to home, so decided I should pop by there & see what they had. It was actually a lady whose yardsale I had visited last year (and bought a very nice bronze light fixture from then) and she had tons of stuff out there. I didn't buy a lot of stuff, but it was sort of serendipitious nonetheless.

See this chair below with the beautiful needlepoint chair cover? I bought it several years ago at a yardsale. It actually had another needlepoint cover on it & I bought this one on Ebay & switched them out. This cute little harp-backed chair is sitting in my livingroom next to the console table. I had just told myself not too long ago that if I ever found another one for a decent price, I'd get one for the other side of the table.
Well, as luck would have it, this lady had a chair very, very similar to mine for $8. It has a funky fabric on there, which I can't wait to change out & it needs gluing on one side joint, but for that price, I don't mind! My first chair is a little prettier & better made, but they really look so close that I'm tickled to have them both now. I'll probably look for another needlepoint for this one too, since I love needlepoint so much. I used to work for Ethan Allen & managed to snag some discontinued fabrics, so I may put this one to good use until I can find another needlepoint.
Here's a shot of both of them in place. Aren't they a nice addition to the livingroom?
Found this pretty aqua plate at Petals from the Past flea market for $4.00. I've been adding this aqua color to my entertainment center in the den & it's such a nice addition to the seashells.
Found 2 more pieces (finial & candlestick) in this color from the chair lady...these were $2.00 each, so I had to have them.
And, one more cute little red transferware plate from the Petals flea market for 50 cents. When I find another one, I'll add these 2 to my foyer wall, where I have 4 in this color already displayed.
So, all in all, a fun weekend. I went on Sat. with a friend to the Tannehill Trade Days, a once a month flea market. There were so many people out that we waited in line for 30 minutes just to get inside the gate. It's a state park & very pretty, so I'm not surprised that there were a lot of people out on a weekend like this...perfect weather. We had to laugh though....only in Alabama will you find flower vendors who sell the tackiest flowers for gravesites. I have never seen anything like this in my life, but we saw several vendors with the ugliest, tackiest, gawdiest, brightest flowers you've ever seen, in styrofoam vases ( or sprays), just right for those gravesites! Have you ever? I have not! I told my friend that I can just see Bubba walking along checking out all the junk at the flea market & then saying to wifey, "Honey, what say we pick up some flowers for Mama's grave? These are so purty!" I actually saw people hauling them out to their cars (or trucks, maybe!). I had to laugh!! I wish I had taken a picture...they were so very bad!

Breakfast Treat...Baked French Toast

It seems that there are a lot of opportunities to cook things for church events...and this week was one of them. We had a special ladies breakfast yesterday, so I volunteered to make Baked French Toast, which is so easy and so delicious. It's almost easier than regular French Toast & this serves a lot of people. I got this recipe from my sister (who makes these special treats for us at Christmas) and it's a keeper. The egg mixture soaks into the bread & when it's all baked up, it tastes like egg custard with maple syrup. Hope this makes you happy, like it does me!

Baked French Toast

1 loaf French bread cut in 1 inch pieces
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half & half
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 Tbls. light corn syrup
Chopped pecans

Butter or spray 9x13 pan. Lay bread in bottom. Beat eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon. Pour over bread and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, heat oven to 350*. In sauce pan, put butter, brown sugar, corn syrup. Heat until it bubbles. Pour over bread. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake uncovered for 40 mins.

Prepare to eat way too much of this stuff!!


The weather has been glorious this week. You know, perfect spring temps? A friend and I went back to Petals from the Past today & it was so much fun. I didn't take my camera, but they have a special event once a year called Antiques in the Garden. Antique dealers come in with lots of goodies set up in the barn & outside, as well as all the plants & garden accessories that Petals has on hand. It was a beautiful day & perfect for browsing. My friend found 2 gorgeous iron arbors that she had been looking for from a vendor who had a lot of neat iron things. When I get ready to do my other gate, I'll be looking them up! I found a couple of plates...one aqua one to add to my shells collection & another little red/white plate, both for a total of $4.50.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend & that you get some sunshine too!

How My Garden Grows

We've been in this house a little over a year & one of the first things I did last year was get out in the yard during spring & start planting. This area next to the fenceline was just grass, so I dug it all out, amended the soil, & started adding some perennials. I was so proud of my efforts last year & really enjoyed all the blooms I got. The left pic is right after I planted & the right is a couple months later, when everything started filling in & growing. And, the bottom pic is today!My baskets were so lush & pretty (even though we had such a drought last year!) & I even surprised myself & kept it all watered. I sometimes have good intentions, but when the temps hit about 95* for days on end, my enthusiam wanes a bit. So, this year, I have been happily checking all my plants to see how they are all doing & they are doing great. I haven't planted my baskets & planters yet, but here's a peek at all the blooms that are a'bustin out in my little garden.

Blue pincushion Scabiosa & spirea (which I can't find the name of right now..love the lime foilage) These perennial purple verbena have gone wild & I have to keep them cut back so they don't smother the other plants.

Got the arbor painted black & installed it yesterday. I need to decide what kind of vine I want to put on it...any suggestions? This area gets mostly sun with some afternoon shade. I'm thinking an Armandii clematis. I had one at my house in GA & it did really well. Definitely want something that's evergreen. Another thought is Carolina jasmine. I would hate to put something on it that gets too heavy for the arbor, since this arbor is not that hefty. You can see part of the backyard...ugly, hard clay that we have down here in the South. We have lots of plans for back here, but it will just take time and money! I want to do a flagstone pathway from this gate over to the deck area, where under the deck, we are going to put in pavers for a patio of sorts.

Don't we all need a garden wagon? I picked this one up last year at a neighbor's yardsale for $10. I was a happy camper, since that was on my list of things to buy. Really saves the back!

Here's the BEFORE of the frontbed. I really would like to rip all the boxwoods & hollies out, but that's not going to happen anytime soon, so I made do with ripping out these on the corner, adding a stonewall (which I built ALL by myself!) and planted some pretty new plants in here. I think you'll agree that it's a world of difference now!

Above 2 pics are right after I planted last year....and below is this year! Those double knockout roses are the bomb! They are already blooming like crazy. I originally planted 3 of them last year, along with some heuchera that you can see in the first pics. The heuchera didn't do well, so I traded them in on 2 more knockout roses. The smaller 2 should catch up soon with the big ones.

Here's the armillary I found yardsaling a few weeks ago...it looks so happy among the roses.

This small little area is to the left of our gate going to the backyard. It, too, was just grass when we moved in. I added this Endless Summer hydrangea last year & 2 hostas. Really livens it up with all the green going on. The hydrangea is loaded with blooms already.

So, that's my little corner of the garden. We have so much to do, but I'm really very happy with the progress I've made since we moved in. These happy blooms make my day everytime I walk outside. Now, if I can only keep them all watered this year & we don't have another drought!

Happy Gardening to all my friends...I look forward to seeing your gardens too!

Weekend Yardsale Treasures

I just "heart" yardsales...it was another fun weekend, hitting a great neighborhood sale. I had to stop after I ran out of money & it was time to go to my spin class at the gym anyway. It was all I could do not to keep going, but oh well, sometimes you gotta just quit.

I've slowly been replacing all the brass fixtures in our house & have most all of the regular ones covered (you know, the hallways, those little lights in the bathroom, extra bedrooms, etc)...found many at yardsales & I'm even doing the changing out by myself. Did I tell you my DH is not handy...well, he's not, but he's fine with me trying new things. So, I do. Just call me Ms. Electrician now. I've got all the fixtures switched to bronze, except the foyer, breakfast area, DR chandelier, & a couple more in our master bathroom, so I've really done well finding many at yardsales & redoing them as needed. One bedroom & my DH's office, I'm adding ceiling fans with lights eventually. This one will get a coat of bronze paint & it will be beautiful in my guestroom. The girl I bought it from said..."now, why didn't I do that?" when I told her I would be painting it....it was $5.

I love finding namebrand clothes at yardsales. These are all really cute & in excellent condition. All were $1.00 each. The green stripe is a nice weight long-sleeved sweatshirt from the Gap. The left little flowered red tank is from Inc. & the other wild pink/black/white print is by Donna Toran (who I've never heard of) and appears to be great quality too. I love adding little things to my wardrobe for pennies! Two hardback books that of course, I had to have...$1.00 each. The Heart of France is beautiful & will sit on my coffee table. Nell Hill's Style at Home, I was SO excited to find. I know many gals who love MC Garrity (Pat, esp. you!) & this is my first book of hers, so I can't wait to sit & browse it.
Here's The Heart of France on my LR coffee table, along with the little bird tray I got a few weeks ago.
And Style at Home on one of the side tables in the LR...don't they look great here?!

Found this arbor at the first stop, new in the box, bargained for $15. It's dark green & says it's made of steel andI will give it a coat of black spray paint...once I get a couple of vines on it, it will be beautiful. We have 2 gates in the fence, so I'll put this one on the back gate. I want a nicer one for the front gate, but this one will do fine for the other one...can't beat the price!

Iron wall pocket, $3. I think I can get this to hang on the front door, so of course, I'll have to do an arrangement in it too! I'll show ya'll when I get it done.

Two more creamware urns to add to my little, but growing collection...these were $5 for both...they have a nice crackle finish to them. For now, I'm putting my collection on top of the china cabinet in the DR. This is what I have so far & all of them came from yardsales or the thrift store...grand total for all 4 = $11!

After disassembling my Easter vignette on the foyer table, I moved the cloche to the DR table & finally remembered my big silver platter that's a perfect fit with it. Left the eggs under it for now, but I really like the mix of silver and glass together. Closeup of the cloche & silver platter.

Here's the foyer table back to normal, with the iron birds from Tues. AM I found not long ago & the welcome rock I found at a yardsale last year for 25 cents. The stack of books are also yardsale finds from the past.

I found so many things I would have love to have brought home...like a black iron & glass console table, a pretty oil painting of France (new, not old), & some pieces of majolica that were so nice...but, it wasn't in the budget right now.

So, until next time....that's all folks!! Hope all you yardsale fans get out soon & find some bargains too!