A Country Style Table for Spring

It is always good for me to  change  things up following a major holiday..  The  table had been set for Easter  for   about a month and  I was  kicking up my heels this afternoon,  to change it up for late Spring!

I chose yellow and blue because it reminds me   that I have country roots,,  and  I do miss my opportunities to  spend my weekends in the country.  My mom and grandparents lived in the country all those  years and I thing  as I climb the rock behind grandma's house to survey the gorgeous countryside  that  this is all mine! I have free domain to   roam where ever I want... Everyone knows who I am  and  I have  a certain authority to skip  through the fields and roam the woods at your leisure!

Then suddenly it all vanishes..  Gramps have passed,  mom and dad  have sold out to   move closer to us and now they  are in heaven,, and all I'm left with  are sweet memories..  I can drive by the houses,  but strangers live there now..  best to not ever  go back there...  just remember..  But I can   recreate the mood  here at home and for me it is yellow and blue!!

I  began with a   a lovely soft yellow cloth,,  like the color of sweet creamery butter. 

 I used the mx matched   transfer ware in blue...  Countryside by  by Enoch Wedgewood plates  and Mason's  Denmark cups and saucers.... meaningful to me  because my  grandparents were of ancient English heritage.

who  migrated to England from France..  I love my  napkins, made in France, folded in the   Olde French Fleur di Lys  pattern..

Note the antique  glass pitcher and compote.. both  I inherited from my great grandparents  who taught my grandfather  the carpenter trade so he could build the marvelous farmhouse on his  dairy farm in the early 1920's. 

I can feel a bit of Country French  with a bit of  shabby British thrown in for good measure  in this  setting!! 

 The centerpiece  is a hold over from easter... A bird's nest intertwined with dogwood boughs  and wild flower debecked candles in pewter  candle sticks!

 All together  I think sets a lovely  late spring table  heralding my  loving memories  of life in the country with my family!

 Pink Saturday

Tablescape Thursday

Grace at Home

Homestyle Gathering

Thankful Thursday, 1000 Gifts, and Eucahristeo!

As I share my   blessings  I am also  counting  them as part of the 1000 Gifts    theme from Ann Voskamp!

      To return to Rebecca Jo's page.. click here!!!

876.  So much for which to be thankful... including my dear husband.. He  has been working so hard lately  just trying to please me, I think...  doing    yardwork and items around the house..  finalizing odds and ends that  haven't been  done in quite a while..

I  really only want him to take good care of himself!

877.   Our daughter and  grand daugthers are such a joy to us..  those  girls change so much. so quickly,,

the older I get, the harder it seems to be so separated  from them  living 7 states apart.

878. For the small little blessings I see all the time..  God's gifts ....    especially in my  over all health, ability, and renewing strength.  But  even  small things like    walking around the corner of the house to see a   beautiful blue bird   before it suddenly takes flight, or a bunny  by the flowers!

879.  Thankful that Hubs family is closer than ever before...  I mean his cousins..  All of his  primary  family  ( Parents and siblings passed  over 25 years   ago.Wow, hard to beleive,  but yes it was  almost 30 years.)  But once his older  cousin moved back to the area,- a girl, she was instrumental in getting all the girls  and their spouses together..  Yes, Hubs is the only man,  but he loves them and we meet once a month  for dinner out..  We will meet this weekend!   

880. I am thankful for all kinds of music.  LIke right now I am listening to Pandora, my Anuna station... I absolutely love the  rather new age/ celtic sound of it..  It always puts me in a calm and relaxed mood.. 

881.  I love  the  milder  even cooler weather we are  experiencing  these days...  even with rain in the forecast tomorrow...  I  love it when summer takes its time in coming and we enjoy  these wonderful days of spring!

882.  I absolutely love when sweetie Hubs  takes me by surprise and we stop      by Dairy Queen..

He knows what I like!!

Wednesday Medley

Hosted by our friend, Terri!

Everything below this line is from the National Day Calendar website.

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NATIONAL PIGS-IN-A-BLANKET DAY

On April 24, observe National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day with just a few ingredients.  

Celebrated across the world, the term often refers to a variety of different dishes. In the United States, Pigs-in-a-Blanket are often hot dogs or sausages wrapped in biscuit or croissant dough and baked. Pigs-in-a-Blanket are generally served as an appetizer or as breakfast. However, it can be served any meal time!

HOW TO OBSERVE

Share your version of Pigs-In-A-Blanket using #NationalPigBlanketDay on social media.

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Everything above this line is from the National Day Calendar website.

(My first thought was 'what am I going to do with this one'!! Bear with me, followers!)

1.  Typically served as an hors d'oeuvre, have you ever made or had a Pig-in-a-Blanket?  Do you like Pigs-in-a-Blanket? Oh, yes,  every time I make and take these  delectable bits,  they  go like wild fire!

2.  Pigs-in-a-blanket are also known as devils on horseback, kilted sausages, and wiener winks. (Seriously.)  Please make up another name for this fun little appetizer!  How about Weenies in Dipes.

3.  In the UK, pigs-in-blankets are small sausages, or chipolatas wrapped up in bacon.  Which country's version is most appealing to your taste buds?  Those sound a bit greasy to me...  I'll take  ours.

4.  The first written record of pigs-in-a-blanket occurs in Betty Crocker's Cooking for Kids in 1957.  In this digital world, do you still have a favorite cookbook you use most of the time?  Is there a recipe you can share with us from that cookbook?

I love this cookbook that I picked up at a church sale  years ago.  I has everything in it....  plus a whole section of foreign foods like this recipe I am  sharing for my daughter who  is hosting a Germany friend.. She might like to make  this German dish!

Looks tasty to me!!!

  5.  What is your favorite cooking show on TV? 

I absolutely love the Great British Baking Show!

I even enjoy the reruns because it helps me  perfect a method of cooking  in my mind anyway!

I,also, love The Kitchen.  They make cooking look like fun and have  really tasty seasonal  suggestions for  cooking and  entertaining! Beside that they are a great  bunch of folks to  invite into the home for a  daily visit!

6.  Tell us something random about your week, please! We had our last  Isaiah Bible Study session this week.  I am so going to miss the study and especially  the  dear ladies  with whom we met.. ! This weekend we set aside a time to get together  with  Lynn's cousins for dinner.. We meet  somewhere in town once a month and have now for the last couple of years..  I love this since I don't have much family at all in the area!

Tuesday 4~Earth Day

Hosted by Toni!

Celebrating Earth Day 

1. What is your Favorite way to Celebrate Earth Day? 

After I graduated college and began teaching I was really into Earth Day..Teaching ecology and earth management.. as time went on and this misguided craze of global warming, (especially as most scientists have debunked it in truth), took over the mindset, my interest in Earth Day has begun to wane, because it almost seems to me that people are beginning to worship Creation instead of the Creator. That is not to say I do not love our earth and the beautiful Creation, so I love to plant a tree and beautify our property.

We're going to this wonderful nursery soon to purchase bedding plants and shrubs to plant this year! 

2. What is your Favorite thing to do Outside? 

I enjoy leisurely walks and mountain rides, country picnics... and times of solitude and reflection! 

3. What is Something we can do to Waste less Water? 

We have already bought water saving plumbing fixtures, and we take quick showers, and cutting the water off between sudsing and rinsing, We do not use the dish washer unless we have a full load, and same with the various loads of laundry.. we use water saving cycles in the laundry process. We hardly ever water our lawn and if we do we do it in the evening! 

4. Why is it Important to care about our Earth? Common sense tells us to be good stewards of our earth or it should. Not spilling the auto oil on the ground should be a common sense idea... otherwise it will find it's way into some one's well water. Water, even though is a renewable resource with the expense of cleaning it for use, should be used sparingly as possible especially in very dry areas of the world.. even here on the west coast.I am always dismayed by the lack of care many people take with their trash.. just seeing it along the byways and highways is disconcerting to me.. When we lived in Germany, the laws were much more strident and people were very particular about keep things picked up everywhere.. When we returned to the states, I was and have been rather horrified ever since when I see trash everywhere... and the trash in cities is unconscionable.. I really get upset when large groups of "concerned " citizens who meet in mass to protest an issue and after their protest they have left a ton of refuse in their wake.. Shows their concern isn't what it is ramped up to be in my opinion! Sorry to get political, but it does seem to be a political topic these days..

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather:::

Warmer this week  and sunny!

On my reading pile:::

Continue through the Bible readings  form Psalms, Leviticus,  2 Timothy, 

I am stopping in at the County library to pick up some  books I ordered...

I love stories about Ireland!

Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::

Hallmark Spring Romance

On my TV this week:::

I've really enjoyed some vintage  TV on You Tube..  
What's My Line 
and I've Got a Secret!

On the menu for this week:::

Monday 

Easter leftovers

Tuesday 

Spaghetti

Wednesday

Meatloaf

Thursday

Chef salad with  chicken strips

Friday 

Out with friends

Saturday

Out with family

On my to do list:::

Look over and complete my Isaiah homework
It is our last  homework  of the study  and it  covers  the book of Isaiah in review

Redo the dining room..  a  mid spring look

Looking forward to:::
cleaning the   front porch and    decorating it..  once the oak pollen is no more!

Looking around the house:::

Time to  remove easter and    and  minimalize things a bit!

From the camera:::

Except for the top of the mirrior sticking out of my head I love this photo of hubs  particularly.  We enjoyed our dinner yesterday...  lots of cooking  for me.. not used to it!!  

What I'm wearing today:::

Tee shirt and  cropped  jeans

One of my simple pleasures:::

 listening to  the scriptures  being read to me...as I read along too!

Bible verse, Devotional, prayers::: 

Prayers 

The President and his family, and the administration, for protection and godly counsel! I am praying Trump will go ahead and side step Congress to secure our borders

Pray against all division in our nation, that harmony and peace will reign supreme throughout the land. Also, pray that the Justice system will work properly and investigate and convict those who need to be held accountable for their acts against our nation

For the God's will to work its way through our Congress to promote a healing and a functioning environment

Pray against delusion and lies of the enemy, protect the hearts and minds of the young!

Pray that pastors across the nation are renewed and re edified to preach the gospel using the whole counsel of God... Let no personal kingdom or agenda sidestep the work of the Spirit in the church!

Please, God, take back our institutions of higher learning

Pray for the sick that they might be healed

Pray for the peace and harmony of Jerusalem ...also pray God's favor over Bibi Netanyahu Tuesday that he will be re-elected

Pray that the light of Christ will shine boldly through His people and everyone is establishing within their own hearts the manner in which to live for Him in 2019

Pray for our service men and women overseas who put their life on the line everyday to protect our freedoms. I lift up particularly my own sweet cousin Josh.... Please add in the comments other names you would like named here!!

Pray for the lost who are bewildered and lost... they are hopeless in need of a loving savior!

Pink Saturday Easter Dinner

Easter and the Legend of the Dogwood Tree. ... According to the story, it was the dogwood tree that provided the wood used to build the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Because of its role in the crucifixion, it is said that God both cursed and blessed the tree.

This is the first time in a while that I have felt like  cooking the holiday meal.. 

Memories of my dear mother 

keep compelling me to  do  her traditional dinner..Most of the time Mother had a ham  that she cooked from scratch and  decorated with  pineapple slices and   glaze,  but  I am not into ham that much these days so I  am contenting myself  by doing  Buttermilk Country Fried Chicken, very much like Mother did!

Of course, we will have deviled eggs,, 

Mother also, always made  her delicious macaroni salad..  I found this recipe  that  has a  surprise ingredient....peas..  I bought some delicious spring peas ...   so here goes.

The rest of the recipe appears to be  my Mom's.. My hubs   will love this!

Roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus.

 Fresh Pineapple slices

Yeast Dinner rolls 

Yes, I cheat..  Well, Hubs does,, He's in charge of the bread!

Now Mother would have baked a Coconut Poke Cake -  so moist and  delicious with 7 Minute frosting loaded with fresh coconut. 

Yum..  But  I opted for this small 
Carrot cake

  

Kroger bakery bakes a small cake just right for a small dinner party. It is all we need!

 Easter is popping around the room!

 The room is set  and    now I can  concentrate on finishing  the chicken  marinade...

Pop back to  Beverly's Pink Saturday here.