Fall Dinner Party

I have never been one for fall decor. I do love the color orange, but in the context of a tailgate party, not permanently in my house. However, after seeing this lovely post by Eddie Ross, it finally dawned on me that I can decorate for fall without the candy-corn colors and goofy jack-o-lanterns.

This particular picture from Eddie's blog got me thinking:

Since I had my mental breakthrough I decided to decorate the interior of our house for fall and purchased a grey pumpkin to sit on the bookshelf. It's so subtle, yet appropriate for the season.

We were having friends over for dinner last week and I saw it as my chance to create some fabulous fall table. *I also have never been a huge fan of purple, but once again, the picture above was quite inspiring.

I began with brown burlap (purchased for $6) and made a table runner. I then set a white platter in the center with white pumpkins on either side. On the platter I placed candelabra I found at an antique shop in Franklin, TN last spring. I have been dying to use it and thought this the perfect opportunity. I snagged a couple to mercury glass cachepots on clearance at Pottery Barn last year and filled them with purple mums and Spanish moss and added them to the mix. I then set the table with white china, cloth napkins and my green glassware.

In the end I decided the candelabra wasn't the best centerpiece for fostering conversation so I replaced it with the grey pumpkin and added my favorite candlesticks...and there you have it. Here are pictures with the candelabra and the pumpkin.

I must say that the color palette is really growing on me.


So simple, but so lovely!

Here is the final shot of the table.

Mom, if you are reading this I am sorry that the forks are on top of the napkins. I know that drives you crazy, but they looked funny laying on the table beside them.

It just feels good...

...to get your fingers in the dirt!

After a summer of practically neglecting my flowerbeds, I finally got in there and tackled the army of weeds that had overtaken the soil. It's difficult to justify spending good money on landscaping the yard of a rental house, but I simply must do something to the flowerbeds that greets visitors at the entrance to the front porch.

Yes, we mow the grass and trim bushes, but I crave beautifully landscaped beds with carefully placed shrubbery and strategically planted flowers. Here are a couple of shots of my parent's back yard. It is a beautiful place to escape to...

In the back of this picture you can see the fort/swing-set my dad built me for Christmas when I was 2 and next to it is the playhouse (now mom's storage room for gardening supplies) that he built me for my 4th Christmas. "We" (he) have actually moved them from two other houses.

This is one of my favorite spots. The picture was made in late spring before most of the summer flowers were blooming, but the larkspur and hydrangeas were beautiful.

So, the other day I purchased a few goodies for our yard: snapdragons, pansies and rosemary. I am limiting myself to just these three since they will all live through the spring and will require minimal maintenance...and I can cook with the rosemary. Don't worry though, the flowerbeds will be far from boring. At some point a real gardener lived in this house and every year we are presently surprised by the lilies, tulips, and daffodils that pop up at the most unexpected times.




Right now some bulb is starting to spring up. I wonder if it knows it's about 5 months early? And since I live in the what seems like the hottest place on earth, plants that are annuals in most climates zones are perennials here, i.e. lantana. Last year it bloomed until Christmas.

Which One Are You?

In the words of Lauren Winner, one of my favorite authors, "I am a terminal J on the Myers-Briggs, so I love closure and plans. The open horizons and the freedom of the spirit sometimes make me very, very nervous."

Last night I got into a post-debate discussion with a group of friends about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®. If you've never taken the test you should! It is a diagnostic test to determine the way you reason and process information. It was so interesting to try and figure out what everyone in room was. After pulling up the website and reading the descriptions of all the different personality types I was actually begin to doubt my "type". Just to put my mind at ease I took a similar on-line version this morning and as I should have known...it's still the same.

Old Friends...

It's good to have you back in my life :)


If you missed it last night catch up tonight...that is, after you watch the debates!

Finally Fall...

Happy Fall Everyone!

Even though the leaves in Mississippi won't be looking like this anytime soon there is that "crispness" in the air. Last night we started burning a pumpkin spice candle and I'm thinking it's about time to bring out the hot chocolate mix.

Heaven Cake

For the 3rd year in a row I have made "Heaven Cake" for the birthday of a good friend. I never really had a name for the cake, but my this is how my friend referred to it so I'm sticking with it.

Heaven Cake gets it's origins from two sources:

1. My Mother: We (my brothers and I) always wanted ice cream cake for our birthdays growing up. Momma, being the great homemaker and do-it-yourself-er that she is decided to make them herself. We always asked for mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cake. Mom would semi-melt the ice cream and re-freeze it into 8in. cake pans lined with wax paper. Then she would layer them with chocolate cake, ice it with whipped cream (homemade) and decorate with cherries and Oreos...just like in the freezer case at Dairy Queen.

2. Once, while perusing InStyle magazine I came across the "how to plan a party" section (actual name unknown) and in it was featured a recipe for an ice cream cake. It involved different flavors of ice cream, Heath Bars, maybe a cookie crust and I think it was topped with pistachios. While this looked appealing, I thought I could come up with a better flavor combo...

The Result: Heaven Cake

1 carton vanilla bean ice cream
1 carton strawberry ice cream (preferably Breyer's)
3/4 bag vanilla wafers, crushed
1 package Oreos, crushed
1 jar fudge topping
1 stick of butter
3-4 Heath Bars, crushed
1 c whipping cream (whipped with 3T sugar)
fresh strawberries

*1 springform pan!

1. Crust - melt butter and mix with crushed vanilla wafers. Press into bottom of springform pan and bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes. let cool completely.

2. Let vanilla ice cream softened slightly and spread onto crust (I only use 3/4 carton). Top with crushed Heath Bar. Place in freezer until hard.

3. Mix fudge topping with crushed Oreos. I usually use the entire package of cookies, but mix to your desired consistency. Spread on cake and freeze until hard.


4. Spread slightly soft strawberry ice cream onto cake. Make layer as thick as you like. Place in freezer until hardened.

5. When ready to serve, remove from springform pan and top with fresh whipped cream and strawberries...

Finished Product: Heaven Cake!

*Warning: This cake should not be eaten by anyone with a medical condition or any individual who cares at all about their health - except on their birthday.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head...

and falling, and falling, and falling...After returning to Mississippi in the middle of August I was reminded of why I love North Alabama so very much. - it is never as hot as Mississippi. After only a couple of days of the unbearably hot/humid/sticky weather, we got a reprieve...a 2 day rainstorm.

Then 2 dry days, then 4 more days of rain, then a few days that were dry but filled with hysteria over Hurricane Gustav. After the 5 days of rain and 2 more without sun that Gustav brought, the ground finally dry again. (Thankfully we received no damage or even a power outage in this part of the state, but please continue to pray for those on the Gulf who had considerable damage).
It has been 4 days since it's rained, but it's supposed to start again tomorrow. I don't know if this is from Hurricane Ike making his way towards the Gulf or just plain rain. Needless to say I am in grave need of rainboots. You would think in a city that always has horrific weather in Hurricane Season there would be an ample supply of rainboots. WRONG. There are no rainboots to be found in the state of Mississippi. Over the past two weeks I have searched high and low for a pair to keep my feet dry.

Thankfully, I do have a cute pair of Sperry Loafers from college that I used for walking to class in the rain, but with this weather I need something with a bit more coverage.
In my quest for boots I have discovered many stores that offer them on-line. Target does not disappoint. I'm deciding between the Navy Dots and the Citrus Fruit.

I think the Navy Dots will win.

J. Crew also has a nice selection as does Boden, who makes these red and brown ones...they are just a bit out of my price range. BTW: if you are like me and anxiously awaiting the end to Hurricane Season you can watch the
Hurricane Season Countdown brought to us by the Weather Channel.

Down to brass tacks...or drawer pulls

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was given a beautiful antique mahogany buffet by my parents for my 21st Birthday. My mother and I picked it out at one of my favorite antique shops and it is supposed to be my "Hope Chest" (A hope chest, for those of you who aren't familiar with this ultra-southern tradition is usually a cedar chest that girls would use to collect linens, household items, etc... to use when they get married).

It has been sitting in my dining room for a while now holding my wine glases and serving dishes. I have had every intention of polishing the drawer pulls and cabinet handles, but never actually got around to it. Finally, over Labor Day weekend I decided to give it a try. At my mother's suggestion I first tried an old remedy 1 part salt to 1 part vinegar. Not only did this make my kitchen smell like a jar of pickles - sorry roommates! - but it did not work and actually managed to turn the handle a pinkish hue (thankfully I just tested one of them). So, the next day on a trip to the grocery store I picket up a bottle of Brasso Metal Polish which I believe cost me around $3.00.
I removed all of the handles and placed them in a container with the polish and let them sit a while. I then gave them a good scrub with on old toothbrush and a rinse in the sink and they looked like new. I gave the buffet a polish as well and reattached the handles.

I can't quite believe this is the same piece of furniture and furthermore I can't believe I waited so long to do this! Now I just need to get around to having it refinished...