My Lil Buckaroo

 

Last week we celebrated Hunter’s 18th birthday.  To see his birthday post, click here.  I wanted to do the table in a way that would reflect some of his childhood memories.  I went into the attic and pulled out his first cowboy boots!  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them!  The vase that I put inside the boot actually helped it to stand up straight!

 

 

I bought this gun holster for him when he was about 2 years old.  His name is engraved in the leather.

 

 

I used open mouth canning jars as candle holders.  I inserted a picture that would go along with the theme.  The outside of the jar is wrapped in wire with little stars.  I did drop a votive holder inside the jar to keep the candle from damaging the picture.

 

 

I just bought the runner from PB a couple of weeks ago.  It was on clearance for $15!!!  I think it was originally $60.  It worked out perfectly for this table.

 

 

Rattan chargers were topped with white ironstone chargers.  The golden yellow and deep red plates bring out the beautiful colors of the runner.

 

 

Remember my DIY napkin rings?  To see how I made these, click here.  The napkins were also on clearance at PB for $11 for 4!  I don’t get there often but when I do go, I head straight for the sale section!

 

 

 

The blue glass is Moonstone by Fostoria and the iced tea is by Gorham.

 

 

An old rope was coiled around the runner to fill in the empty spaces.

 

 

My lil buckaroo is a young man now!  A young man that I am proud to call my son!

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Tuesday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life
Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick

A Dish Lover’s Best Friend

 

Look’s pretty bad, doesn’t it?  Savvy thought I was crazy for buying it, LOL!  It’s a piece of Fiesta that I picked up at GW for 59 cents and I needed another yellow plate.  Last week, I also purchased a whole set of white Pottery Barn dinnerware that also had a few utensil marks on it but nothing like this!  I was planning on buying the Bar Keeper’s Friend that I had read about on Pinterest.  Now I had the ultimate test piece.  Would it or wouldn’t it work?  Let’s see….

 

 

It most definitely worked!  I left one side alone while I cleaned on the other.  It took about 3-4 times scrubbing with the cleaner and a brush but it definitely worked!  I was so excited!

 

 

I purchased it from Ace Hardware for less that $3.  The consistency reminded me of Comet cleaner.

 

 

According to the can, it cleans quite a bit.  Lately I have been cleaning like mad with baking soda and vinegar which works wonders but it didn’t work on this plate.  After I use this on my PB dinnerware, it will be looking like new!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tips, Tutorials & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Winter Party @ DIY by Design

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick

Sunday Bible Study - A New Series

 

 

Hello, everyone!  I hope you are having a joyous Sunday!  Starting next week, I will be having Bible Study each Sunday.  I enjoy studying the scriptures and wish to share some things that I have learned.  I hope that you will also contribute your thoughts as well! 

 

Please understand that this will be from my viewpoint.  If you don’t have the same beliefs as I do, I fully understand and accept that.  I am not wanting to force my beliefs on anyone, I only want to share and hope to learn more from others.

 

It has been many years since I studied the book of Proverbs but I believe I will start there.  We can learn many lessons from this valuable book.  Please join me, next Sunday as we look at Chapter 1 of the book of Proverbs!

 

Blessings,

Tammy

Happy 18th Birthday, Hunter!

 

Eighteen years ago today, our baby boy was born!  He weighed 10 pound 3 ounces and was born at 38 weeks!  He was a little butterball!  Yes, I had a c-section….thank goodness!  Neither of my children wore newborn sizes, they both started out in 3 month sizes.  You can see in his picture above that the neck of his little outfit couldn’t be buttoned!

 

 

Here he is at 3 weeks.

 

 

Jumping ahead to 12 months, you can see the little curls that he is starting to get.

 

 

At three, he had a head full of curls.  I must say I put off cutting it as long as I could.  He almost had an afro before it was!  Looking at his baby pictures, just bring back such cherished memories!

 

 

Today, he has come a long way from that chubby little baby!  He still has to keep his hair short, if not he will have a head full of frizz!  We are so proud of the young man that he has become!  He has a good heart and is always helping others, especially our elderly neighbors.  I thank God each and every day for blessing me!

 

 

Happy Birthday, Hunter!  We love you!!!

How to Cook Green Beans the Old Fashioned Way

The number one Google  search that brings visitors to my blog is my recipe for butter beans!  To see that post, click here.  Instead of fancy recipes, a lot of people are just looking for basic recipes.  I’m no great cook by any means and it was probably 20 years before I figured out how to cook butterbeans!  Now, I want to share how I cook green beans or, as some say, snap beans!

 

 

Old Fashioned Green Beans

2  heaping tablespoons of bacon grease

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1/2 small onion, chopped

29 ounce can of cut green beans

chicken broth

salt & pepper to taste

1.  Melt bacon in medium stock pot.

2.  Add garlic and onions, sauté until soft.

3. Add green beans, tossing until coated.

4.  Add pepper.

5.  Add chicken broth, enough to cover beans.

6.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook approximately 20 minutes. 

7.  Add salt last.  Since the chicken broth has it’s own salt you don’t want to add to much.
 

That’s it.  Very easy but very loaded with flavor.  I don’t actually measure out the ingredients so you can adjust them to fit your taste.  Even though bacon grease is used, the beans will not be oily, if they are you have used too much grease.  The grease is only to provide the flavor!

 

 

Just a simple little recipe for the family cook!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum

On the Menu Monday @ StoneGable

Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Back for Seconds Social @ Back for Seconds
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Winter Ice

 

Hope everyone is having a good day!  We’re having a beautiful sunny day here in south Louisiana with highs in the low 60’s!  Even though we don’t have any ice outside, I wanted to join in at the party starting tonight over at Cuisine Kathleen’s.

 

 

I started by draping the table in a large piece of silver fabric that has a slight shimmer to it.  You may remember it from my Halloween table which you can see here.

 

 

Silver trimmed dinner plates are topped with a clear salad plate so the snowflake can show though.

 

 

Wine glasses are Marquis by Waterford.  I recently purchased 4 of them from Goodwill for $15.99!  They were brand new, still had the labels on them!  How sweet is that?!?  The iced tea glasses are by Gorham.

 

 

Silver wine charms continue the wintry theme.

 

 

I used silver champagne goblets for dessert glasses.  For the centerpiece, I used a large glass vase.  I filled it up with artificial snowflakes and inserted some branches from the yard.

 

 

I sprayed the branches with spray adhesive and rolled them in Epsom salt.  I then sprayed them a final time to give the “ice” some staying power.

 

 

I drizzled the snow over the table to fill in the extra spaces.  Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Wherever you are, I hope you are comfy, warm and dry!

 

Sharing with:

 

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen’s

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Tips, Tutorials, @ Tidbits @ StoneGable

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

 

Old Tool Tote as Cutlery Holder

 

I’ve been in Hunter’s barn…again!  This time I “borrowed” this little wooden tool tote.  He had a bigger one but wouldn’t let me take that one!  I applied a coat of chalk paint, almost dry brushing it one to allow some of the wood to show through.

 

 

Since, it’s on the smaller side, I had to use jelly jars to hold the cutlery.  In keeping with Valentine’s Day, I inserted a solid pink and a floral napkin.  This is a great way to add, not only color, but prints for the different holidays/seasons. 

 

 

I also used some Johnson Brothers plates to go along with the theme!  I got a whole set of 4 including a platter of $9.99 at Goodwill!  I saw the young man bringing them out the back and asked him to walk on up front for me to the register!  LOL!  They didn’t even make it to the shelf!

 

 

While I was snapping pictures, I thought I’d show you my cutting boards.  I’ve been picking up some here and there and wanted to display them.  I came up with using a basket and also had enough space for crocks to hold the big utensils.  I would like a darker basket and will be keeping my eyes open for one at GW.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House
Cowgirl Up! @ The Farmhouse Porch

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Tips, Tutorials,& Tidbits @ StoneGable

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Winter Party @ DIY By Design
Open House @ No Minimalist Here
 Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Tea for Two

 

 

I had planned on a table for two and serve dessert.  One night, I cooked some delicious lemon bars and specifically pointed out the really pretty ones that were not to be eaten….you know to get a good picture!  LOL!  The next day I went to town with my husband and when we got back there were no more lemon bars!!!  Hunter had eaten all of them!  I know he was the culprit because Savannah doesn’t like lemons!  So my table is minus a dessert!

 

 

 

I used my silver tea set that my mom gave to me.  Her sister gave it to her almost 50 years ago!

 

 

The pretty tea cups are from Goodwill. They were even in a pretty box lined with satin.

 

 

I love the curve of the saucers.

 

 

The candlewick candy dish is also from GW.  To determine the difference between candlewick and boopie glass, click here to see my previous post.

 

 

You can see a little of the etched glass under the strawberries.

 

 

The candlesticks were a recent Christmas gift.  They are made by Godfinger.

 

 

Here’s a little closer look.  Also the tablecloth is actually a shawl, another GW find.

 

Thanks for stopping by:

 

Sharing with:

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

DIY Napkin Rings using Ornaments

Did you hit the after Christmas sales this year?  I did.  I wanted some new lights but they were the first things to go.  This past weekend Hobby Lobby had their Christmas marked down to 90% off.  It was pretty picked though but there were some things left.

 

 

When I came across some miniature ornaments that weren’t really Christmassy, I knew what I wanted to do with them!  I have been trying to plan a tablescape for Hunter’s 18th birthday and the western thing was just the way to go!

 

 

I first took this metal ribbon and cut it in strips.  I used another napkin ring to determine the length. After bending the ribbon into a circle, I used some glue to connect the ends.  I used clothes pins to hold them secure until they dried as seen in the picture below.

 

 

While they were drying, I took the small ornaments and jiggled the hook until it slipped out.

 

 

 

After the ribbon was dry, I used hot glue to attach the ornament.

 

 

And this is the finished product!

 

 

 

For 90 cents, I have a set of 6 custom western themed napkin rings!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Newbie Party @ Debbie Doos

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Winter Party @ DIY by Design

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Tutorial, Tips & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors