In The Forest

Before I throw away the rest of the pumpkins, I was eager to try this treatment of succulents on an heirloom pumpkin.  All of these succulents have been in planters in our cutting garden, and while I know that they won't winter over outside, I also know that I'm just not good about remembering to care for them out in the potting shed.  So, I had no reservations about cutting them up to decorate this lovely Cinderella pumpkin.  I photographed it on a white paper background to get a really good photo for you.

Then, the day was so beautiful and the woods so inviting, so outside I went!

In order to elevate the pumpkin from the table, and give a little more room, I thought it was the perfect day to use this wooden compote dish with carved acorns around the edge. 

 

I decided to tuck a few leaves around the base of the pumpkin, since it didn't sit level on the dish.

This green and brown plaid tablecloth is really two very wide runners of dupioni silk.  Well.....polyester that looks like dupioni silk!

These salad plates were on sale at Ballard's outlet a few weeks ago.  Didn't take me long to get those puppies in my cart!

I used them with some dark brown chargers that are really pot saucers from Pottery Barn, and some cream scallop-edged plates from ZGallerie.

Oh, mama!  Don't you love these napkin rings????  They were gifted to me from my very dear friend, Barb.  You often see lovely things on this blog that were given to me from her, because she has the best, best, best taste and is very generous.

And look here!!!!  This incredible salt and pepper set is another gift from her!  Am I the luckiest girl?

My standby wooden handled flatware suited me fine for this.

Lime green stems and raffia wrapped glasses fit the bill.

These bow back chairs from the breakfast room were softened with pillows from the keeping room.

Since these guys are still hanging around, I thought they looked cute here.

The way the sunshine hit the table was the best part of the day.  You just can't fake this feeling.  

Although winter is not harsh here in Georgia, we sure do store up these last mild days.  

As I soak in the beauty and joy of this season and the land we own, my heart goes out to those in the northern part of our state and the agony they are experiencing from the wildfires.  Our air quality has been terrible from the smoke, but it is a small inconvenience when I think of their loss.  We are all praying for rain. 

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21 Rosemary Lane

   

Window Magic

My good friend, Barb, told me how to put these three ingredients together to make a magical elixir to wash even the dirtiest windows.  Yep!  I had me some of them!!!!  Our pool got a new surface last week, and somehow, all of the windows had grit and yuck all over the outside of them.  So I pulled out her "recipe" for window washing and man, oh man!  This stuff was great.  And easy to make!  And so cheap that it was almost free! 

I used it with this little wonder......made by Good Grips.  It has a squeegee on one side.....

and a Velcro closed terry-cloth side.

 

My windows looked almost this good when I finished!!! 

 

Here's the recipe:

 

1/4 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. rubbing alcohol

1 T. cornstarch

2 c. warm water

 

Whisk this together and pour into a spray bottle.  Be sure to shake the bottle frequently.

 

Really people!!!!  This stuff is great!

Thanks, Barb! 

 

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Nearly No-Calorie Pasta

Let me set the stage:

1. I'm visiting an especially dear friend who has recently lost weight and looks terrific.

2.  We love to cook together.

3.  We love to eat together.

4.  She and her husband love cooking gadgets.

Enter the Spirolizer!

This box just arrived from Amazon.  You can find a link to order it here.  It is under $30 and we had the best time fixing our lunch and playing with this new toy.

T'is the season for zucchini and Barb had four lovely ones in her veggie basket. We gave them a quick wash, removed the ends and were ready to go!  

This was sooo easy to set up.  It was very well made and comes with three different sized blades.  We chose the smallest cut to make "spaghetti" out of the zucchini.  The machine has suction that keeps it in place as you cut.  We played with potatoes and all of the blades.  Holy smokes, it was fun!

Here we go!

Just a few simple, easy twists and here it comes!

Here's our plate of spirals. 

Into a skillet with a small amount of pesto.  Barb had some delicious home made pesto that she makes with very little oil and no nuts.  It worked perfectly.  We threw in some home grown heirloom tomatoes fresh picked from the vine and after just a few minutes on the heat, we had an absolutely wonderful meal.  You could cook it as long as you want, but we elected to just barely heat it through, so it would be crisp.  We actually smacked our lips as we ate!  We thought of lots of ways to use this and lots of "recipes" to use with the veggies you could cut with this new toy. 

NOW.....could eating like this make me look like Barb?  I'm ordering one just in case! 

Comfort Food on the Terrace

Last week was a particularly tough week for Mr. Pressed Pants, so I fixed his favorite meal (meatloaf!) and we had a nice meal down on the lower terrace.  We've been missing one of our favorite couples, so I used their names on place cards just for photographing. 

It was a beautiful evening and we relaxed and talked and talked.  This shot is taken from the upper terrace.

I started with this beautiful French script fabric in a pale turquoise with this grey/brown print.  I didn't even hem the edges, but please don't tell my mother!

I picked up the bird theme on the cloth and added small bird nests and a velvet leaf just for a place card.

Yes, Michael, we wish you were here.

And Barb, too!!!!

I added these wire chargers, then a cream plate and a chocolate brown plate, both from Target.  Then this cream faux French flatware.  (Cheryl from JoJo's Joys is looking for some of this to add to her stash.  Does anyone know where this is still available?) 

These cream linen napkins are held in place with these beautiful feathers that I made into a napkin ring.  The colors are perfect for this tablecloth, don't you think?

The glassware is a mix of clear and aqua glass.  The aqua is Martha Stewart's from Macy's.

And these French tumblers are a favorite of mine.  I think these say "a glass of friendship".

That was my inspiration for "inviting" Barb and Michael to the table.

This pewter piece held oil and vinegar.

I loved the "patina" on these candlesticks.  They came from my favorite Atlanta store, Boxwoods.

They aren't old, but they look a bit aged.  The colors couldn't be better for this table.  They are usually in one of our guest bedrooms.

 

I used this faux bois pot for the flower arrangement.  The flowers all came from the floral wholesaler.  The cream gerbera daisies and hypericium showed up nicely against the wood color and......

these scabiosa seed pods were my surprise element.  I just love these.  I never saw them before.

Look how the brown stripes on the pods mimic the wood.  I'm so glad that they are sort of dry, so I have been able to keep them for future dried arrangements. 

Want to look at it again?

This was a very serene table, and a lovely evening, even without our "guests".

Since these pillows from the guest room were the perfect shade of linen and trim, I brought them down for a little extra comfort.

Before and after dinner, we moved to these chaises, which are on the same level as our dinner.  We sat and let the frogs, Canadian geese, and the owl serenade us.

I used this little turquoise tray for our appetizers. (Melon wrapped with prosciutto)

And for sentiment, I added a couple of acorns which have already fallen on the terrace.

Missed you, Barb and Michael.  It would have been a fun foursome!

You could have been another set of love birds at the table!!!!

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