A Little of This, A Little of That

Since the rain won't seem to go away, I thought I'd take a few minutes and post what's been going on the last few weeks (and months) since my last post.  This is a hodge podge of pictures I thought I'd share, no theme to speak of, just a little of this and a little of that.

The first picture is of the spring wreath I made for the front door.  It's mostly pink, and I guess the neighbors might think I'm wishing for a baby girl, but I liked the colors.

My children came home for Easter, and we had dinner in the dining room.  I used a garden bunny in the centerpiece, with pink tulips on each side.

It was nice having just the four of us, and we certainly had a lovely time being together!

For teacher appreciation week, I helped my cousin do the tables for a teacher luncheon.  We used decorated mason jars with cut flowers from the yard, big pieces of chalk tied with twine, and apples as our centerpieces.  Simple, but cute!

When the flowers finally bloomed for spring, they were magnificent.

We opened the pool and set the tents up.

Flowers were planted in all the pots.

Now we are ready to enjoy the outside, if the weather will cooperate!

Instead of going out to a restaurant for our anniversary as we usually do, we decided to go to our lake where we cooked dinner outside, and enjoyed the view.  Nothing fancy on the table--but with this view it wasn't needed.

Our dinner consisted of salad with fruit, walnuts, and feta with strawberry blush vinaigrette, fillets, roasted squash and zucchini, and sauteed mushrooms with onions.  We enjoyed being outside and cooking together.

Thanks for stopping by!  Come back and visit soon!

A Lake View Setting for Fall

Fall days in Virginia can be the best time of the year to be outside.  Without the humidity we often experience in summer, and the mild temperatures, it is pleasant and enjoyable.  So we were off to spend an evening at our lake property right outside of Blackstone, Virginia, in Nottoway County.  

Just an hour from our home, we were excited to have some close friends join us for dinner and conversation. Photo courtesy of Bill Fischer

The road leading to the lake is cut right through a soybean field, which, I believe, is ready for harvesting.  Photo courtesy of Bill Fischer

We have had quite a bit of work done this summer, and now it is an enjoyable retreat with a beautiful view of the lake.  Before we had the patios built, I set up a table in the same spot.  See it here.

We often joke that we put the cart before the horse, because there is no house or cabin on this property, only a camper.  But to have a working bathroom and electricity is a beautiful thing.

Using the upper patio as our dining area, I set the table simply with a floral runner and a pumpkin centerpiece.

Using an artificial garland as a base, I added fresh greenery and nandina berries.  I curved the garland around the centerpiece and added taper candles.

Adding extra flowers, berries, and greenery to an artificial garland really makes it full and lush.

The napkins and runner have a white base, with the orange and green leaves which are so appropriate this time of the year. 

I felt like I had hit the jackpot when I found these dishes a few years ago at a TJ Maxx store in South Carolina.  I like the fact that they are white, but with the colors of fall.  

For my centerpiece, I started with a white pumpkin from Michaels and carved out a hole in the top for oasis. Then I added alstromeria, berries, and fresh greenery from my back yard.

I tried to use the oasis on the top of the pumpkin by attaching it to the stem per pinterest tutorial, but it didn't work so well for me.  It was easy to cut open the top and add the oasis.

With limited storage here, I have to plan ahead and cart all my accoutrements from home.

With all the trees, it always seems to be a breeze here.  After setting up, we had a little time to relax

and enjoy the view with a cocktail.

All ready for the guests to arrive!

I use these pumpkin plates quite frequently in the fall for salad, appetizers, or dessert!

This is the upper patio taken from the lakeside.  The steps that were added look like stone, but are actually a man-made product.  We chose these because they were level and still had a great look.

The landscapers we used also help us at home.  They were so excited to do this job, and it shows in the quality of work that was done.

After our guests arrived, we began to prepare dinner.  Nothing like steaks on a wood fire!  Photo courtesy of Bill Fischer

While the steaks were cooking in the firepit, we were also preparing grilled chicken, corn and asparagus on the green egg.  (sorry for the grainy picture, used my phone)

A view of the area from above.  Photo courtesy of Bill Fischer

Candles are lit!

Even though the lighting for pictures wasn't great, here are a few taken in the evening.  Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, hope you enjoyed your visit.  For more on the evening and my friend Bill's Chinook experiences, visit his blog, http://chinookconcourse.tumblr.com/

A Tranquil Lake Setting

It's been a while since I've posted, and I can't believe how fast the summer is moving along. So just a quick update, and a quick picture or two, and I'm off again!!
The owners of the antique mall where I have my booth have been late every month paying the vendors.  Just when I thought about pulling out, the doors were locked with all our stuff inside.  The owners owed the landlord thousands of dollars (three figures) in back rent, so the business was closed.  I lost all sales $$ for May and half of June, and also my rent checks.  The mall was opened back up the beginning of July with different owners, so I'm back in business.  It may take a month or two to recoup the losses, but I'm optimistic that the new owners are on the right track.  Every one's rent was reduced and hopefully we will receive our checks on time.

Also, the designer I was working with on the Richmond Symphony House did not get chosen. Just as well as far as I'm concerned, because I was stressing about the time that I was going to have to put in.
On a positive note, my children have been around this summer and we spent a wonderful week at the beach with close friends.  My daughter just finished a play in Williamsburg, and she received very positive reviews.  She is headed to New York this week for a workshop at Broadway Dance Center.  My son has been working at a local fitness club, and he is headed to Virginia Tech in August, where he will be a sophomore majoring in Communications.
We spent a quiet afternoon at our lake on the Fourth.  It's such a beautiful, tranquil setting, and we enjoyed boating, cooking on an open fire, and best of all, laughing at my daughter catching fish!!

Sticking with the red, white and blue theme, we set up a simple table near the lake, trying our best to get our camping table level!  

We stuck with just the basics.  

Queen Anne's lace is worth every chigger bite I get!

 A view from the boat ...

There's a tree on the hill behind the ones on the shore that we call the "Gone with the Wind" tree.  Maybe a lakehouse one day??  Right now I'd settle for a bathroom lol!  Take care, have a good week, and thanks for visiting!!