A Little Bit Retro

Are y'all having a great weekend? I started my weekend off by going out Friday morning for some quick thrifting therapy.
I was wandering the aisles of GW, looking for who-knows-what, when I saw something round and sort of flat, with a bunch of stuff piled on top of it. I could see a pretty shade of turquoise, so I pulled it out, and couldn't believe my eyes...

...it was a tole tray... and it had a magnolia on it!

I hadn't see one like it before...but, it had the Nashco sticker on the back, so I threw it into my basket before anyone else saw it.
When I got home, I stood it up on the hutch to look at it, and then decided to do an impromptu retro "drinks bar", using a couple of things that belonged to my mom, back in the 50s.

...Mom's Libbey Rock Sharpe stemware, in the Halifax pattern...

...and her aluminum ice bucket...

...what would you like to drink? We have wine, beer and iced tea...

...lemon and mint for the tea...served in a silver bowl with a lemon fork...and "monogrammed" cocktail napkins, of course...

...I love silver cocktail forks...I got this one on ebay, several years ago...

...here...let me refresh your drink...


Have a great week y'all, and enjoy the Olympics.
Hugs,
Babs
Let's party with...
A Stroll Thru Life Table Top Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday
Ivy and Elephants What's It Wednesday
No Minimalist Here Open House Party, on Thursday

Lightening the Bookcases

 It's midsummer, and I've finally gotten around to changing things on the media center. I removed most of the dark books and replaced them with ones that have lighter colored jackets, and added a few summery touches...

...gotta have shells...

...and a white dish here and there...

...I need to take the throws out of the basket...don't think we're going to need them till Fall...

...a couple of style books...

...lots of baskets for storage...nothing new with them...they're always there...

...the skinny shelf on top...

...I switched books for a more coastal color...

...now, all I have to do is figure out what to do with all the books I took off the shelves.
Whew! I'm ready to sit down with a glass of iced tea...
Hope y'all have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Babs
Let's party with...
My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday
2805 Potpourri Friday
At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday
The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home Friday
The Tablescaper Seasonal Sundays
The Dedicated House Make It Pretty Monday

From the Garden

Some things in our garden are looking pretty good, in spite of the weather...

...the tomatoes are the best we've had in a few years. 

...only three peppers so far...a deer ate the tops off and now we wait till they grow again...grrrr...

...the fig tree is loaded and I'm out twice a day trying to pick the figs before the birds eat them all...

...I did get enough to make a batch of fig preserves...yay!...

 ...cooked the old fashioned way...with equal parts sugar and fruit...

... ready to put in the pantry. or give as gifts...

... my flowers aren't doing too well, but I managed to find a few to arrange in the old enamel coffee pot. 

How is your garden doing? Great, I hope. 

Happy gardening!

Babs

Let's garden with:

A Southern Daydreamer  Outdoor Wednesday

Busy Weekend

We had a fun and busy weekend. Almost everyone in town, not to mention a few who flew in, attended my cousin's wedding.  Friday evening was the rehearsal, and the wedding was Saturday evening.
We got to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner, a few minutes early and I managed to get a few photos...before rest of the guests and wedding party arrived...

..cheese and crackers to nibble while waiting for the wedding party to arrive...I like the way they were served on a granite slab...

...tables, chairs, linens...all in white...

...I love the little table set for the children who were to be in the wedding.

A special table was set for the bride and groom...

...salad...sorry, I didn't get a pic of the dinner plate...too busy eating...

...the grounds were really pretty...

...no, we didn't eat outside...it was way too hot and muggy...

...a little gazebo for an outside event...

...other guest have started arriving, so we'd better go inside. 
We had a wonderful weekend...hope yours was too.
Hugs,
Babs

Casual or Fancy Southern Style Party Sandwiches

Pimento Cheese...it's a Southern thing!

I wish I had a dollar for every one of these pimento cheese party sandwiches I've made in my life. As soon as I was old enough to use a sharp knife, my mom put me to work cutting crusts from bread to make sandwiches for her parties. 
The sandwiches are easy to make, and although a bit time consuming, can be a fun family project...if your kids are old enough to help...with  a little supervision, of course. :)
Here's how they're made...

 I use 1 loaf of white bread and 1 of wheat...or two of each if it's a big party...sandwich bread is best, since it's thinner and more square, but the "old fashioned" kind will do.
Cut the crusts off so you have a square...or slight rectangle.

Once the crusts are cut off, stack three slices, alternating white and wheat...some with two wheat and one white in the middle, and some the other way. (Save the crusts to use later, for bread crumbs, croutons or bread pudding.)
Cut each stack into 3 finger sandwiches and slather on the pimento cheese...not too thick, but not to thinly either. 
Now, I'm not giving you a recipe for pimento cheese, because everybody has their own family favorite, so just use the one you like best.


Here are both a casual, and fancy way, I like to serve them for a party...

...here's the casual look again...

...just put the sandwiches directly on a plate and garnish with something green. I have mint in the garden, right now, so that's what I used, and I added carrot knots for a little more color. They're made from long thin ribbons of carrot, cut lengthwise with a peeler. They're quick, colorful, and easy to make.


Now...if you're having a bridal shower or tea party, you can gussy things up a bit.

Line a silver tray with lettuce, arrange the sandwiches, alternating the wheat and white. Then decorate with a tomato rose, or two, and add whatever green leaves you have. 

Since the strawberry leaves in the garden looked good, I used three of them under the "roses".

The sandwiches can be made a day ahead. If you do, cover them with a damp tea towel, or paper towel, that's been wet and completely wrung out.
Store them in a plastic sealed container, or on a plate covered with plastic wrap.

Then, just before the party, transfer them to your serving plate, and wait for the compliments.
Hope you enjoy my mom's Southern style party sandwiches. 
Here a link to show you how to make a tomato rose...click here.
Hugs and party y'all.
Babs
Let's Party:
No Minimalist Here Open House Party Thursdays
French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday
2805 Potpourri Friday
At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday
Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday
The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home
Bliss Ranch Hot Fun in the Summertime

Crape Myrtle Love

Crape Myrtle trees are a favorite among gardeners, here in the South. 
You can hardly pass a house that doesn't have at least one in the yard.
They're low maintenance, with large showy blooms, interesting bark, and great fall color... 


 source   Tuscarora
...hot pink ones...

...although some varieties are more like shrubs, these along our side yard are over 20 ft. high. 



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Crape Myrtles come in so many colors, it's hard to decide which is the prettiest.  Here the homeowner chose three colors.



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These are miniature which grow about 3 feet high. Great in a raised bed.



Here's one called Dynamite Red...

 ...but one of my absolute favorites is Natchez.  
It's standard size with huge white blooms and grows to about 20ft. This one in our yard has only been here for 3 years, and is already 10 ft. high. 

  I love it's beautiful exfoliating bark...  

...and large white flower heads...drooping from the rain.
























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Yummy pink ones...





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...a lavender one called Cordon Bleu...


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...and a gorgeous bi-color called Peppermint Lace.

Do you love Crape Myrtles as much as I do? Do you have a favorite color? 
Hugs! Hope you're having a great week, 
Babs

Let's party with:
A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday