July 4th. Picnic

Hello Friends~ ~ ~

I was looking for a creative way to set up my picnic table.

Instead of a centerpiece I did an arrangement at one end of the table.

First I covered the table with a French Provencial cloth.

 I placed the napkins in an old crock.

You can purchase great big colorful napkins at Ikea.

 The silver in blue ball jars. . .

 The glasses in my Pottery Barn carrier. . .

 and the white dinner plates stacked all at one end of the table

under the old oak tree.

Everyone helped themselves from the bounty and found a place to sit under the wonderful oak tree.

The shaded coolness was appreciated by all.

Hope you are enjoying your holiday week.

TIP:  A centerpiece doesn't have to be in the center of the table.

Think outside the box and have fun!

I am linking to these great parties:

My Romantic Home

Tablescape Thursday

Stone Gable

The Style Sisters

The Dedicated House

Happy 4th. Of July Week~ ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~ ~

A Little Of This And That

Hello Friends~ ~ ~
Sharing some of the fun things I have seen and been doing this Spring.
How do you like this Beetle?  Isn't she a Gem?

Saw her for sale on the way home from the beach.

She is PINK so she has to be a girl, right?

There was a red one too.

I can't stand it how  cute they are.

I love my silver Beetle but this is amazing.

Think I'm A little to old to be seen driving it but it sure does pull at my heartstrings.

While at Ocean City, MD I found this candy shop on the boardwalk.

Their candy is hand made and I purchased a pound of dark chocolate caramels

With sea salt on top! I highly recommend this candy.

Last fall Mom and I took clippings (slips) from our gernaniums.  They were first put into water till they grew roots.  Then we potted them into tin cans, just like Grandma used to do, and grew them on the window sills all winter.

They are now planted in the garden and doing well.

Pictures to follow.

This is a close up of Moms pride and Joy.  A lamp she got right after she and Daddy got married many years ago.  Actually there were two matching lamps but Daddy broke one of them many years ago but he blamed it forever on the cat.  So funny.  Daddy was quite a character.  Miss him very much and honor him this Fathers Day.

Wishing all of you a lovely Fathers Day.

~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

She's Gone . . .

I have some sad news. Our Dear little Caramel is gone. . .over the Rainbow Bridge. She was hit by a car last week. She died immediately. Small Blessing. The incident was witnessed by a neighbor who stopped to assist. The woman who hit her was devistated are we.

She was born here and was with us for 7 short months. I cannot believe she is gone. She had the sweetest spirit and will be missed for as long as I live.

Her brother Licorice misses her so much. They were a tag team and were always together. He seems quiet and a little lost.

In the bag together. . .playing.

I am so grateful to have Licorice.

We know that we take a chance by letting them be inside and outside kittens. They were born outside and are not happy being inside all the time. They slept on the bed at night. . .together but now there is only one. She is so missed.

Thanks for listening. I thought you would like to know.

~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

Do You Think I'm A Little Late?. . .

I just put the tree up!
Got The flocked tree I have always wanted. It is slim so it will fit nicely in the livingroom. The little tree we had this year will go in the entrance way at the top of the steps next year.
Found some beautiful glass ornaments at KMart. If you are interested in silvery gray ones, yes gray glass ornaments rush over to KMart now. They were stunning but do not match my house so I got the wine colored ones.


Finally got it put together and the lights lit so it will stay up for a few days. See all the snow on the floor. Better get busy cleaning up.
A few pictures of what I have been doing this month.

This is a little of what I have been doing for the last month. What a armful of JOY! Remember I said that the kittens will be staying outside. Well that didn't last long.

I named them after my favorite candy Licorice and Caramel.

Wrapping gifts.

Citrus Marmalade.

I got the recipe from Kathy at A Delightsome Life. I used Kamquats and oranges from our trip to Florida earlier in the month.

Baked my favorite cookies Russian Tea Balls.

Baked cut out Sand Tarts from a recipe I have been using for many years. Cute cutters, don't you agree? The one in the front was my Grand Mothers.

Got a great new cookie sheet. It is very heavy and does not bend in the oven heat. It has a big lip all the way around to keep it strong and I forgot to put the pic of the wrapper in the post. Does anyone know how to add a photo and work it into the post just where you want it, after the fact? I cannot move my pictures around once they are downloaded to the post. Is this normal?

I can't Click and Drag in my blog posts. Used to be able to but no more. If you know how Please let me know.

I store my cutters in this basket on the dining room floor. They are just to pretty to store away.

More kitten photos. These two have been so much fun and a comfort as I lost my Beloved Black cat Spirit in November. He was my best fur friend for over 11 years and it was so difficult to let him go.

Look at that smile! Yes I do believe it is a smile.

A last little photo of Licorice who will not be outdone by his sister Caramel.

Wishing You An Amazing 2012!

~ ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~ ~
Linking up to these wonderful ladies.

Foodie Friday

My Romantic Home

Christmas Home Tour 2011

~ ~ ~and singing I have been doing my friends. I do love this time of year and decorating my home for the holidays. I have Christmas Caroles playing all day. I just love using Pandora.
I covered these letters from Michael's with Mod Podge, hymnal pages and hung them over the archway between the dining room and living room. How do you like them?

This is my small china cabniet in the entranceway landing.

I just love a cozy home when it's cold outside.

The top of the tree.
Gotta love glitter and stars!

~ ~ ~and more stars.

It is just a tiny 4 foot tree but I love the sparkle and shine.

Do you remember Department 56? These angels are about 30 years old and I still love them and put them out every year. They were a gift from my Mother.

The tree sits on a tiny antique table in a corner of the living room.

The picture beside the china is one of my favorites. A boy and girl sitting on a swing. She has her hands in a fur muff. Wouldn't that be fun instead of gloves?

I think I used 6 garlands for the archway doubling them up for a lush look. Then I poked extra stems of greens in here and there too.
Behind the curtins are the French doors to the sunroom.

I have linked up to these Christmas Parties:

I'll Be Home For Christmas Party

Between Naps On The Porch

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. I wish that all your Dreams come true this holiday season.

May you have Peace, Joy and Abundance of Happiness.

Love to all of you,

~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

The Last Peaches and Flowers of Summer

Don't you just love peaches?

These are a variety called Loring and are asking to be a pie.
I had a few sweet cherries in a bowl so I added them to the mix.


Everything in the shell and the butter at the ready to dot on the top.

Like I said before, my pies look very homemade but that doesn't stop me from making them.

I cut a few leaves from the scraps to decorate the top. In honor of the falling leaves that will soon litter the ground here. Already the trees are beginning to turn yellow and orange. Seems a little early, doesn't it?

Be sure to bake your pies on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. They sure do make a mess.

Why is it that everytime I begin a project around here help finds it's way to me. Do you see the ears? That's my helper. Actually he eats my flower arrangements so I have to be careful what I bring into the house.

This sweet little pitcher is a recent flea market find. The flowers are a fall blooming clematis that is just full of flowers this year. Tiny little white ones and I added a few red geraniums. Red and white makes my heart sing. How about you? What colors do it for you?

The new kittens have been named~ ~ ~Caramel and Licorice. Can you guess which is which? Licorice says, I really really love my sister but this flower pot is getting smaller and smaller. I don't think we can do this for much longer. Can you believe I found both of them in this 8" round pot. Must be like being in the womb.

Caramel needed a good stretch after her nap.

Caramel and Licorice are my two favorite candies and these little guys are so sweet!

The winner of the Girard's Salad Dressing Giveaway is Mary from Very Merry Vintage Style. Mary Hosts the blog party called Share The Love every Wednesday. If you haven't been to visit her yet you may want to take a minute and see all the wonderful links this week.
Please stop by and visit these wonderful blog parties too.

Show and Tell - My Romantic Home

Foodie Friday - Designs By Gollum

Thrifty Things Friday - Thrifty Groove

Vintage Inspiration Friday - Debras Vintage Designs

Thanks to all of you for stopping by. I love it when you leave a comment, you make my day. Make it a wonderful weekend.

~ ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~ ~