Tablescape Thursday ~ Mojito Monday

I am happy to once again participate in Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch. Please visit Susan's wonderful blog to view her always so beautiful tablescape and click on the others who are joining in the fun this time to view their creations!



I'm using Tablescape Thursday to highlight one of the highlights of my week!
Mojito Mondays!
Well, it's not just the Mojitos that highlight my Mondays, it's also the fact that my husband has been taking a lot of Mondays off from work, and then we usually take a drive to enjoy the beach, and we come home and relax by making ourselves a couple of Mojitos. I found an amazing recipe for the perfect Mojito from Bill @ Affordable Accoutrements (you can find the recipe here). My husband and I enjoy his recipe very much!
We first debuted Bill's recipe at a family party and it was a big hit!


We usually take these wonderful drinks outside on the deck. Now, I do nothing fancy, but I think using your 'everyday' kitchenware can make a very nice little tablescape, granted it's not as beautiful or grand as using 'special day' tableware at a sit-down dinner, but it can still be a pleasant table to sit at. And I think using familiar, everyday things creates a comfortable atmosphere.

I usually walk in the door and quickly gather up whatever is at hand:



This time it was two nice big glasses I had purchased earlier this summer at Target:



And a small white colander, also a purchase from Target:



I also took out two vintage shell dishes that I had purchased years ago at a flea market:


And this little lime shaped cutting board that I got as a gift years ago:


This is a perfect summer drink!



Along with our wonderful Mojitos, I have filled the colander with fresh vegetables:



And I used the little shell dishes for our favorite dipping sauces:


(This is the lazy man's [er, woman's] version of a mojito salad, fresh vegetables and papaya/mango/tomato salsa to dip them in!)


It's really a very informal, relaxing, refreshing treat on a summer evening!










On the second round we were running out of mint leaves so there was a bit of a disagreement on who would get the most mint in their drink. Guess who won?


Nah, I'm just kidding! I split them up evenly.

Good food, great drinks, and the best company, right in our own little corner of the world!
Can life get any better?

Happy Tablescape Thursday!

Grace Under Fire

The Blushing Hostess Entertains is honoring Jackie Kennedy Onassis' birthday (she would have been 80 now) by asking readers to share their stories of grace. Please go to this site to read the stories, poems, memories, and pictures that are being shared.




I am shortening a very long story into just a few sentences for this post.

Grace ~ the exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; the disposition to benefit or serve another.

My mother was a woman of grace, poise, refinement and dignity. Unfortunately a little of her polish was lost to Alzheimer's Disease in her last years of life. My Mom spent her last fourteen months within the confines of a nursing home, where other gracious women were in charge of her care. These nurses' aides treated my mother with the utmost respect despite my mother's tantrums and outbursts. These women acted as her guardians and protectors. At the risk of losing their jobs, these women reported an abuse they witnessed perpetrated on my mother by a Licensed Practical Nurse. These women were not supported by their superiors, in fact, they were denigrated and belittled. They were told they were "foreigners and didn't really understand the meaning of the word 'pushed'". They were transferred off of the Dementia Ward because they had felt a duty to my mother and informed the family of what they had witnessed, as Administration was trying to cover up this abuse. These women took a great risk in the interest of safeguarding my mother and the other patients that they felt a responsibility for on their ward. I will forever be in their debt for their acts of bravery. These women acted with the utmost grace under fire.


Below are just a few photos that also suggest to me the personification of grace:

Happy Birthday, Jackie!

Tablescape Thursday ~ Having The Girls For Lunch Today

A few girlfriends are coming for lunch this afternoon, so I thought I'd use this table setting to participate again in Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan@Between Naps On The Porch. Please go to her blog to view all the beautiful dishes and creative table settings. Susan and her followers are all a font of wonderful ideas.



I started my table setting by using a rose patterned coverlet as a table covering. I thought it was pretty for a summer luncheon.






The flowers were actually the table centerpiece from a wedding that my son and daughter-in-law attended, my daughter- in-law very kindly gifted them to me, and I was happy to be able to use them for my lunch table.





I used my green everyday dishes as a charger.




Then I used these small white plates (that I had picked up in TJ Maxx) for our lunch plates.


The plates that I used for appetizers are an assortment of bargain store finds, flea market finds, and one belonged to my grandmother.





The glassware was picked up at a church sale for twenty-five cents apiece!




The glass pitcher (I'll be filling it with iced tea), the butter dish, and the cake plate all belonged to my grandmother.




The napkins were purchased at our local grocery store.





I'm using my everyday flatware which was purchased at Target earlier this year. And the little appetizer forks were purchased at Ikea.




The little bowls that I'll be using for condiments were purchased on sale at Anthropologie, and the little spoons are from Ikea.



The tray I'll be using for appetizers is a Shabby Chic design by Rachel Ashwell and sold by Target a few years ago.



And the tray I'll be using for sandwiches was purchased a few years ago at TJ Maxx.





I have a nagging feeling that I've forgotten something.


















Well, I'm sure I've forgotten something, I always do! Can you think of anything?




Oh, well, we're all friends, I'm sure they'll forgive me.
Enough fretting about the table anyway, I have to get busy in the kitchen now!

Happy Tablescape Thursday!