A Hint, A Tease, A Trifle?

Today, I was able to do a double post without realizing it. So now that I did, I hope you enjoy it! Here in our household, Spring is literally a burst of everything! New semesters, birthdays, dinner plans, storms, Spring Break, you name it, it happens in the Spring here. So, if you notice that I'm not showing much Spring Fluffing, it is because, I'm barely hanging on to what I can keep up with! LOL

Now let's start with some inventiveness then we'll move onto to some fun teasing.

Hosted by "A Picture Is Worth a 1,000 Words"
What can you do to repurpose leftover angelfood cake and some pudding cups?



Make a chocolate trifle!
*Cut up angelfood cake into bitesize pieces
*Grab some lowball clear glassware
*Put 1 spoonful of pudding in the glass bottom
*Add 1 layer of the cake
*Cover with the rest of the pudding
*Add another layer of cake
Top with ice cream scoop and whipped cream and you've got a delicious trifle!
I did this dessert last night and it was a hit! There you go, even everyday foods can be enjoyed a "2nd time around". Thanks, Diane for hosting again this week!

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Hosted by "The Gypsy's Corner"
My 9-year old daughter is a cowgirl at heart, so for her 10th birthday, what does she ask for? A tablescape, of course! With what, you'll just have to wait. She's a summer baby.

Well... in light of it being TMOT, I think this hint qualifies.


TABLESCAPING IDEA: ("Brain" is quite the clever one to come up with this.) Each child is a different person with a different set of likes and dislikes. During any particular bout of "bad days" like being sick or a difficult test coming up, create a table that is sure to cheer them up. Have a theme of his favorite toy, color, TV show, the sky is the limit and call the theme, "_____ IS TOPS TODAY!" Cook a set of dishes and make a dessert that he or she loves and watch the anxiety wash away. We need to set aside time for each child to help them feel loved and attended to, so why not get the whole family on it by doing a great table in honor of one child! This is why my own family loves the "Blue Plate Special" times we have. Just having a different colored plate makes them feel special. We discuss why, how and let them shine throughout the whole meal time.

Thanks for stopping by; I've been having so much fun thinking up ideas this week, but I've also got two final research essays I need to complete before April 18th, so please, if I don't get to visit most of you during each meme, it's because I had a flash of idea for my papers, and profusely apologize in advance. See you at the next blog!

What to do with an Oddball

Hosted by "Smiling Sally"
Here's a Royal Blue Asian runner from Mrs. Lin's Kitchen dot com. Isn't it pretty? Happy Blue Monday to all and a big thanks to Sally for hosting!


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Hosted by "Between Naps on the Porch"
For today's Met Monday, I decided to show how I convinced my dh that my first find at Goodwill is just as versatile as my other dishes.
Remember this pattern, "Stockholm"? A stoneware made in Japan.

My dh wasn't thrilled about the look of this pattern; it reminded him of the 1980s. Or the fact that I've never really dabbled in any Americana decor that this may fit in. So I had to figure out a way to prove him wrong before he begs me to give it away! I created a tablescape to not only incorporate it but make it shine as well!

First, I consulted "Red" my dining area guard rooster. He immediately took the center spotlight and introduced himself to the two golden foil chicks I won from Robyn of "There's Always Thyme For..." They got along just fine. They looked a little cold so I had them huddle around a warm candleglow. I looked for more things to add and I spotted my very first pitcher embossed with veggies. I rescued the mums and poofed them on top.


Then, since I didn't have any blue on my centerpiece, I tried to find a way to make this pattern work. So, remembering my Canopy "Golden Wheat" dishes, I used it as a charger to spread and tone down the gold. To achieve a casual look, I used our everyday plastic placemats and runner that do a great job blending in with the table. So then, I set my oddball pattern and set the table with my Hampton "Lace" flatware and Anchor Hocking "Fire & Ice" highball glass.


I added my Bordallo "Hen and Rooster" bowl for the menu. "Red's" comb was nicely complemented by the red on the plates. By not using blue anywhere else, the plates stood out beautifully and the centerpiece with the simplicity of the pattern reminds me of the simple beauty of being down in the farm at dusk...

What do you think? Is he right, or I am right to keep this pattern?

THEME:
"Farm in the City"

No, I didn't bribe him with his favorite dessert, "Butterscotch Banana Bread"! It was for the foil chicks! ;-) LOL


Happy Met Monday everyone! Thanks Susan for being our gracious host once again!

They're Meant to be Mine...

Back in February, we walked into a Tuesday Morning in another city near ours and I saw a Bordallo pattern I fell in love with. But alas, I couldn't afford even one plate to start off with. A few weeks after that, I saw the same pattern in the TM that was only less than a mile from where we live. Every week, I've come back once to see if they would put them on further sale. Of course 50% is a great deal but not if the original or retail price was way more than I could ever afford!

Anyway, last Friday, I decided to peek in there again. And on the door, was the sign "Buy 1 CLEARANCE ITEM, get 2nd CLEARANCE ITEM for 50% off!" My heart was racing when I came in with my children. I knew that this set would already be gone. I wasn't hopeful for anything good to find since they started the sale the day after my last peek. I round the corner and I see that all the pieces I was admiring were still there. Now the sale said, qualifying items have yellow tags. I was afraid to lift one up because I didn't want to be disappointed. I thought, if they are still here, that means they weren't put on sale. I'd have to wait again...

But, I had to try, so I did. I grabbed a salad plate; and slowly, carefully turned it over. It has a yellow tag! Plus it was already discounted to another 50% off the last sale price! I quickly got the 8 salad plates, 1 platter and 1 bowl that I've been wanting- all yellow tagged. My average savings was 87.5%!!! FOR. EACH. ITEM! Yes, patience seems to pay off for me over dishes that are meant to be mine. I'll feature the pattern on next week's Thursday memes. Today, I just want to enjoy them...

TABLESCAPING IDEA: ("Brain" knows that dishes are meant to be used, so here's an idea for just that) While you family's out of the house during the day, look at your dinnerware collection. Choose a theme, pattern or coordinating look to set your table with. Choose a simple centerpiece of flowers in a graceful vase. Create a menu that everyone loves and a surprise dessert- one you haven't made in a while but a family fave. On the background, have music that the whole family enjoys. Do a different napkin fold for each placesetting to celebrate the individuality of your children, husband or any relatives in the house with you. As a place card, choose one word that describes their best quality and on the opposite side, their name. As they come in, have them wash up and occupy the table where their names are. After saying grace, tell them how you missed them and decided to celebrate them thru a nice dinner menu and table. Then tell them about the word that inspired you about them as you get ready to serve the dessert. Unless it is super dirty, ask them to blindfold themselves with their napkins because you want dessert to be a surprise. When dessert is on the table, undo the blindfold and see all the wonderful expressions of thanks.

Happy Sunday!

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I'm joining Susan of A Southern Daydreamer in her reading blog, so here are my books:

Diary of A Wimpy Kid- Jeff Kinney (all four we have)
Great Irish Tales of Horror- Peter Haining
Life of Pi- Yann Martel

A Boulder of a Ring

Today, I have a two-in-one meme post for you! Not until last Saturday that it dawned on me that our talented Xinex hosts the Sightseeing Saturday fun. So for the first time, I get to join her! Yay! So, let's start with Pink Saturday with Beverly!

Hosted by "How Sweet The Sound"
Today, I chose to feature some cute and pink napkin rings I found while surfing the net.

Enjoy!

This is a wooden bangle type of painted napkin ring from Alibaba dot com

This sweet pink flower and green ribbon cutie is from Butterflies and Daisies dot com
And these pretty roses napkin rings are from Country Living dot com

Aren't they just darling? Happy Pink Saturday! Thanks Beverly

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This is my very first ever Sightseeing Saturday with Christine of

"Christine's Home and Travel Adventures"

I am so excited!

When we had to move to Texas, we had to drive through New Mexico on highway I-10. Since we were in for a long drive, I pulled out the camera and started take pictures of anything interesting. A little bit of sightseeing- in a moving truck! (Ha, ha, in a moving truck that was moving! LOL)

Come see what I found:
Gigantic rock formations lined the freeway! I wondered if when they were plowing through, these are what they uncovered and they placed them in groups before moving the next one because:

Each pile were positioned almost diagonal of each other across the road. It went on like that for several miles.

Look, they even have some tall ones on the other side! Some, on the background are massive hills of different sized rocks!

Some look deliberate in groupings, some very random... And some...

Look like no machine was able to move it due to its sheer size, so the freeway adjusted to where it was though it seemed straight on, the map layout on Google show you otherwise. The last one was truly massive- it is one solid rock!


Thanks for joining me and Christine today in our sightseeing adventures today. Dust those sneakers, binoculars and replace the camera batteries, America is waiting to be photographed! And the world!

TABLESCAPING IDEA: (The awesome and beautiful "Brain" just keeps getting better and better at this!) Gather friends and families you've traveled with. Prior to the party, upload pictures and print them all out. Place them in smaller albums of each location you've been in. Place them in front of each placesetting, but not for the person in that album. Using pink linens or dinnerware, create a garden like setting on your table: green moss, flower pots, blossoms, etc. Use natural napkin rings. You can even do this in the garden, at dusk. Set up for later lighting and candlelight ambience. As the guests arrive, tell them what you're doing (reminiscing) and to take a seat. Tell them not to open the albums until food's been served. Buffet style is great here. When everyone's plate is full, ask them to take a look at their "favor" album. Because you put them in random, watch the fun begin when comments of "Oh, this is at... I wish I went with you. or "Hey, that's my album then, I was there!" Let swaps of albums and memories flood the evening. To sweeten their departure, surprise them with some delicious chocolate to savor on the way home while remembering another great time with you!

Soup Again Today to go with some Awards!

Hosted by "Designs by Gollum"
YES!!! We did it!!! We survived on what we have in the house, except for necessities and bills, for 10 whole days! We had no TV, too, so we read, played, sang, danced and did tablescapes! We figured that since we end up buying "wants" groceries every two weeks, due to the fact that we have three young children, this family project saved us over $100.00! (Now the dh is whispering, "let's go for a whole month!" Yikes, I've turned him into a thrifty monster...)
Ok, onto what this day is truly about, the awesome meme of all things edible!

Soup Update:
Some of you inquired as to how I made the Nido Oriental Soup I featured with my TT yesterday. Thank you for showing interest. So I am entering it as my FF for today.

This is a popular soup in my own home now, but I also grew up enjoying it in the Philippines.


"Nido" is another name for Bird's Nest Soup and for any of you who have had the luxury of enjoying this soup (maybe Christine or aka Xinex or the other Filipino bloggers who's visited me?), you know how expensive it is. I have only eaten it once, in the Philippines, and didn't know how expensive it was. When I was only 15, back in the late 80s, my third oldest brother ordered it and we fell in love with the whole thing, nest and all. Yes, the nest is the actual nest cave swiftlets make. Chinese chefs hire climbers to fetch these delicacies once the baby birds have flown off. And you guessed it, it is used as a gelatinous and flavorful base for the soup! (Though in some Chinese restaurants, they fashion thin noodles into a nest, crisp it up, put it in a big serving bowl, then put the soup in it.)

My version is using the Knorr Asian line of soups in the red packets. This Nido soup is milk and cornstarch based, so it is much lighter in color than the authentic Bird's Nest Soup. That means NO swiftlet nest in the powdered mix, so you can relax... ;-D You can find them in most Asian aisles of the bigger grocery stores. If not, head to your local Asian grocer and inquire about it. (Sorry, this is the biggest picture I could find on the web.)
One caveat: Since this is powdered and with cornstarch, many may be allergic, so I recommend watering it down by adding 1 1/2 cups more water and using corn, steamed shrimp and scallops (do not add raw shelfish, as it would overwhelm the soup) to achieve the same but lighter flavor of what I used. Instead of chicken meat, I use the yolk for the same protein value. If you are cholesterol wary, please feel free to use thin strips of chicken breast or thigh meat.

Chandy's Nido Oriental Soup
(single to double batch)
1-2 pkgs. of Knorr Nido Oriental Soup mix
1-2 cup of cold water to dissolve in
minimum 1 whole egg or 1 egg per person
3-6 cups of boiling water
1-2 cup of sweet kernel corn
1/4-1/2 lb. medium shrimp
1/4-1/2 lb. medium scallops (cut in half if big sea variety)
1-2 stalk of green onion

Make sure to follow the directions, but with my caveat if you've never enjoyed much oriental soups before. Just like risottos, this soup has to be mixed a lot, and on medium low.

For ONE packet:
Boil 3 cups of water while you dissolve the soup contents in 1 cup of COLD water. Not ice cold, it would seize the cornstarch and you'd have a globby mess. Same for hot water, so cold water from tap would be best. Once the water in the pot boils, kill heat to MED LOW and slowly stir in the soup. Stirring further dissolves the cornstarch. Bring up to a light boil. Stir again.

For the eggs, as the soup boils, slowly whisk in each whole egg (no shells, please!) :-D This breaks up the white that will beautifully float on top while the yolk slowly gets cooked. Stir only the top half of the soup, so the yolks can get pushed down and cook slowly. The egg whites help thicken the soup and further flavor it.

Add the corn right after as it takes about the same time to soak in the flavor of the soup and the for soup to get the sweetness of the corn. Kill heat to LOW or 1. Stir from the outside coming in slowly on the inside. This keeps the yolk from breaking.

Just before you serve it, ladle each egg yolk into each bowl to stop further cooking. Add the seafood and ladle more soup, about half of the bowl. Both egg and meat will gently rise to the top. Sprinkle with thinly cut green onions, but not too much and only the green part.

Add the cooked seafood to warm it only, just before you serve it. The other way I like to do it is lightly steam the seafood, set aside in individual bowls so they sit at the bottom. Then, when the soup is ready, ladle the egg yolk first, then the hot soup into the bowls and enjoy a nice meaty portion!

On steamed rice, you'll have a well balanced meal with the corn, meat, egg and soup.

Variation: If Using chicken, do pulled boiled chicken meat and add half a can of chicken broth to the soup and 2 cups of water to boil.

I do hope you try it; it's a delicate but thick and delicious soup, so whisking will really help with the cornstarch breakdown and further thickening after its cooked. It is very easy to burn it because of the cornstarch and the eggs, so if it happens to you, next time you're in my neck of the woods, I'll serve you a bowl!

Happy "screen" eating! And again, many thanks to our host, Michael Lee. I love Fridays! Ok, ok... I love all the memes! See you at the next blog!

****************************************************I have only been blogging about my tablescapes since February, but all of you have welcomed me in ways that I can never imagine in a lifetime. Your capacity to share and cheer for each other are unbelievable. And through your award sharing, I've gotten to know your level of generosity. And look, some of you are even getting to know me enough to extend a hand of friendship.
Susan of "A Southern Daydreamer" & Christine of "Christine's Home and Travel Adventures both gave me the same award. How awesome is that!

The Friends Award comes with this message attached:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."

And so to plant more seeds of friendships, I'd like to pass this award on to some of my blog friends:

Leigh of "Tales from Bloggeritaville"- she has a way of making me smile thru her comments.
Shelia of "Note Songs"- because I love being called a "sweetie" or asked to be one
Susan of "Between Naps on the Porch"- for helping me meet all of you!
Cathy of "The Stylish House"- for making me feel like a class act through her comments.
Sheila of "The Quintessential Magpie"- for always leaving a fun comment that makes me want to post more so I can visit more of you!

Someone's blog, one of you awesome ladies, shared this awesome award to all who visited. I apologize for forgetting to attach your name to this award when I generously accepted it. To honor you, I share this with also 5 women whose comments and posts inspire me and leave me smiling...

I'll also start to give these to 5 beautiful bloggers who has helped me feel welcome in this fun circle of amazing women.

Christine of "Christine's Home and Travel Adventures" - for her unbelievable generosity that oozes through her posts.
Susan of "A Southern Daydreamer" - for recognizing something about me, through my posts, that most people I meet, don't.
Sue of "Luxe Lanai" - for leaving such heartwarming and fun comments.
Ann at "Life at Ann's Place" - for finding time to visit
Candy of "Rock Candy" - because all "Candy" are beautiful, lol!

You all deserve an award, so please, please accept the award I made for all of you. I made this award from being in awe of your fabulous attitude about blogging.

Happy Friday to all!

On the Fly Oriental Dining

Hosted by "Between Naps on the Porch"

Let's start with Susan's Tablescape Thursday...

THEME:
"Contemporary Asian"
MY INSPIRATION:
Roscher "Tara Gres (Gray)" Square dinnerware and chopsticks
This set was a lot harder to work with than I thought after I bought it for my daughter. Since I'm always on a tight budget, I buy something for my daughters' Hope Chests when I can. Anyway, it never occured to me that the square shape and the chunkiness would be a great contemporary Asian set I can use for tablescaping (I've only been able to use this set once). I'm glad I tried. Also, in the spirit of our project, we were more ready to look for ways to use what we find in the house. Well, my husband found the collection of wooden chopsticks that his father collected over the years from going to this Pho (Noodle) restaurant in San Jose, California.


Since last Tuesday, we put our whole family on a 10-day "Being Self-Reliant" project where we only ate and used what was in our apartment. The only exception to the rule were the necessities like milk, eggs, bread and veggies. We started out by cleaning and reorganizing our food pantry. Then we tweaked our menu to according to what we have on hand. To make it more interesting, I would also make tablescapes to make the foods more appealing. Thank goodness to our Costco run and my neurotic way of stocking up, we had tons of dishes to choose from without the hassle. The hassle came from figuring out which dish to do on what day. :-)

So, on one of these days, I found some beef ribs in the freezer and using my crockpot, I cooked it with only hickory barbecue sauce for 4 hours. As the hour neared, the idea to do an Asian meal came together, but also because while I was trying to figure what to accompany the ribs with, I was looking at the direction of my daughter's plates (it would be hers...) So using that with my "Blossom" serveware, the table came together. It was also the time I made the Asian vignette for the cookie party at Cielo's blog, "The House in the Roses" for last Sunday. I purposely did not use any tablecloth to show off the beautiful dark chocolate color of our new table. Do you see the graceful lines of the bench? My table set is aptly named, "Pagoda" collection from Cost Plus. I scattered the green through my placemats and only used very little candlelight to add romance and a more country feel since all the pieces are obviously contemporary. Luckily for me, I had some chinese vase stands that I was able to use to give different heights to the pieces in the center. In most Asian tables, simplicity and harmony reign... Just like in restaurants, we placed spoons for the soup included in the menu.

There's the pulled bbq beef rib meat that literally fell off the bones after 4 hours in the slow cooker. See the red capped bottle? That's Ponzu soy sauce, the Japanese equivalent of lemons. It is so good on meats. Lisa's boyfriend, Daniel joined us again this dinner and he loved the whole menu! We had a great time eating and talking about how wonderful of an evening it was.
I made this oriental soup called, "Nido with lobster balls and Eggs". I spinkled cut green onions to again capture the green on the table.

(Doesn't the dish make the soup more appetizing?)

TABLE GOODIES:
Plates & Bowls- Roscher "Tara", Marshall's; $3 each
Serveware- "Blossom", Ross; 50-75% off each
Glassware- Anchor Hocking "Fire and Ice", Walmart; $9/16
Placemats- Yellow green round, Ross; $5.99/4
Celadon vase- Chinese water jug, Ross; $3.49
Candle-short pillar, pale yellow, Walmart; 50 cents
Chopsticks- wooden; FREE from FIL
Spoons- Soup/Dessert, Walmart; $3/6
Single Stem White Agapanthus (Recycled), Costco
MENU:
Jasmine Rice, steamed
Hickory BBQ Pulled Beef Ribs
Ponzu soy sauce
Nido Oriental Soup with Lobster Balls and Eggs
Grapefruit/Pineapple juice
Ice Water
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
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For Thrifty Thursday with Leigh... (Actually, I think I already qualify every week with my inexpensive tablescapes, but I also like to feature my great finds...)

Hosted by "Tales from Bloggeritaville"
I present to you my Heritage Mint, Ltd. "Royal Alister" 18/10 Stainless Flatware!


Back in 2006, while living in Mesa, Arizona, a few Albertson's grocery stores closed down near us, and towards the end, one of them, brought out all of their housewares or "general merchandise" and we managed to complete a set of twelve settings plus serving pieces for 50 cents a place setting! Each service sets were also priced down to 50 cents! ("Brain's" happy level went through the roof! How can she not? She was in clearance paradise accompanied by a hunk, no combo is better than that, do you agree?)
But the most memorable of all these wonderful finds, were the times that my husband got so excited with me that he would plan when we can and should go. We went for almost 6 weeks in a row! Gotta love him for that! We also found placemats, tablecloths, steak knives, and Christmas decor. We even grabbed tons of canned grapefruit juice for 8 cents each!

If you click on the flatware name above the first photo, you will see that the equivalent of all the flatware we got on this closeout is worth $239.00 for 69 pieces with the case, but we got them all plus more, including the case, for $15.00! We got two sets of the serving and salad servers.

Doesn't it look beautiful?

I can't wait to dig them out of the storage someday soon; I have an idea for where I can use them... Let's just say, you'll like it when you see it... :-)

I hope you all found some great ideas in this week's Thrifty Tablescape Thursday post edition in my blog. Thanks a bunch Susan and Leigh for hosting! I love these memes, they are so fun! Now go see how many other beautiful tablescapes were done by creative, thrifty ladies! Thanks for peeking!

Saying Goodbye...

Saying goodbye is never easy, but one way or another, we have to do it... Belief in God is what strengthens us, the knowledge that His eternal love and wisdom constantly bestowed upon us, for our own happiness while exercising our free agency. Sometimes, he calls us when we have fully enjoyed this earth, sometimes He calls when our youthful bodies are at its peak, and sometimes, even Heaven needs a pure soul to refresh its walls...

Today, my family and I, along with the Eldredge and Reidhead families, say goodbye and see you later to baby Sage Lawrence Eldredge, my dear friend Crystal's 8-month old baby boy, her 5th child. May his sweet soul be nourishing to all he meets "back home".

In the same token, another friend revealed that she too, lost a young daughter, only two, in the past, and we will also remember her...

Sometimes... Winter's long sleep encourages to forget...

How each season is beautiful, even with death...
We scream and beg for Spring to come; in reality, nothing brings us calm.


A tiny bud, a sign of life, but we forget each victory crowned with suffering and strife.

Time is both endless and limited; each choice molds.
Just like a new blossom, words and actions help life unfold.
Loving and to be loved is a divine gift, the only one never to be spent with thrift.
Little hands reach out to love; glimpses of heaven appear and come like a dove.
Little eyes close to eternal sleep, only God his soul can keep...

(My children; Jasmine, Ian and Lisa with the balloons)
(We released the balloons before they headed to the bus stop; the balloons, just like little children have a way to "staying put" before venturing out on their own, "slowly", "one at a time", but surely...)


Love until you forget how, but more so, love because you can, now...

To Britta, we say "see you someday"... To Sage, we say, "pave the way". For both souls are precious in the sight of God, two chosen ones that made us better, just with their precious smiles and occasional nod.

I thank thee for freeing from earthly pain, choice souls Heavenly Father;
When thou deemest me ready, I will dwell with thee forever...


Hosted by "Southern Daydreamer"
Thank you Susan for gladly hosting another week!
Hope we can visit each other and go on another and numerous wonderful trips!

One Full Tuesday: Three in One!

Hosted by "The Gypsy's Corner"

I decided to focus on beautiful names for today's meme. Thank you Tam, for hosting once again!

I've always been fascinated with how things are named; cars, boats, flowers and even dinnerware. But no matter the reason, the beauty and design is what captures you... You can't help but wonder, if the person who buys the item named similarly as they are, can they see their personality matching or a beauty hidden within?

Why don't you be the judge as you look at these beautiful dinnerware patterns named after women like you and me...

Mikasa's "Brooke" like one of my followers...

Century China's "Jasmine", like my beautiful daughter...

American Atelier's "Lara", like one of my blogging buddies, and former neighbor in Mesa, AZ

222 Fifth's "Gabrielle", reminds me of a playful little French girl...

And, Noritake's "CAROLYN", like me. Can you see me in that delicate detail? It was discontinued back in 1996, the year I got married... I've never known this, but I'm glad I know now.

On to the Toile Party...

Hosted by "Pretty Organized Palace"
I found all of these samples of Oriental Toile in Fabric Finder dot com




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Cielo from "The House in the Roses" bestowed all of these awards to those who participated in her Chocolate Cookie Party. And now, dear readers, I share them all with you!





I've never had this one before, how exciting!


I was excited to get this one personally from her because I've always admired those blogs that earned it!

Enjoy visiting all the participants today! Thanks for peeking!