Pizza and a tealess tea party..

It's not every lady who will hold a tea party with her most cherished, "real" tea set....especially when the guests are 3, 7, 8 and 12.

But when you become a grandmother everything changes. One time I was working on a blog and was going to type "Grandma's rules." Alexis was watching me and I asked her to help me list rules, and she said "Rule #1, there are no rules." So that was the end of that and we have pretty much adopted that policy.

So when they wanted a tea party with their pizza lunch, I said okay....(only a grandmother would use her good tea set and pair it with Solo disposable plates.)

I might be easy, but I'm not stupid. I knew I would get stuck with the clean up detail. I let the girls help carry the tea set into the kitchen and set the table. Caleb went around to my various tea cups in the house and gathered the fancy tea spoons. The little silver cups are for M & M's which is a must when we have pizza at my house. But Alexis decided we need to have a card so everybody would know where to set. So we made place cards out of some yellow card stock she liked.

She decided who was setting where and put their name cards out. The boys wanted Dr. Pepper and the girls wanted chocolate milk. But they wanted to use the cream and sugar bowl. So we thought and thought. And then we decided to put white milk in the tea cups and and Hershey's chocolate syrup in the cream pitcher. That gave them a chance to use their spoons. And what was in the sugar bowl? Well, M & M's of course!



Caleb and the girls were my assistants. As a twelve year old boy, Garret had more of a "watching tv - call me when the foods ready" approach to the tea party. Caleb appointed himself Chef and the girls were his sou chef, which made everybody happy. The chef wouldn't wear an apron but the girls love theirs that my mom made them.

So we got the Digiorno's out of the boxes and I rearranged the toppings on one so Alexis had ham on her part and I had sausage on mine. Everybody else wanted cheese. And the Chef slid them into the oven.

I even managed a good picture of all my guests. We missed little Colby, who was supposed to attend as well. He was spending the night Saturday, but by 2:00 in the morning he had a bad case of mommy-itis so we had to meet up with him mom and dad so he could go back home. We missed him. But the Chef's nabbed there guest and had me take a picture of them all.

All in all, it was a huge success and the girls did help with the clean up. They even carried the tea set back and put it where it belonged. Not to mention the pizza was delicious. A great time was had by all.







And again on Saturday....

I attended a basketball game Saturday where my granddaughter Alexis was cheering. It had been raining all morning. On the way there, I had some extra time so I stopped off at a couple more antique shops in Wears Valley, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. This was the view when I was on the porch of one of them. Guess you can tell why they call them the Smoky Mountains.

Anyway, I saw quite a few things that caught my eye. I was just window shopping again. I saw some things that I think my sister needs to go with her antique red and white cabinet she just bought. Check these out....

Aren't they just adorable. They weren't very big, just about 5-6" round. I love them. I also think she needs this...

I'm pretty sure when she sees this I'm going to get a call asking why I didn't buy these for her. Here are some more things that just caught my fancy...some my sister would love and some I love. I really enjoyed going in the different shops.

This was a cute little sugar and creamer but a tad on the expensive side.

I keep seeing white and red enamel coffee pots everywhere. I think I might have to get me one.

Check out the green table and chairs below. Doesn't that just scream "fixer upper".

I liked colander below for my idea for over my fridge, but it was a little too rusted for the price they were asking. I'll keep looking.

This was an adorable little basket/trunk.

My sister like aqua as well. This mixer was a beautiful aqua color, but you can't tell it in the picture.

Some Pyrex.

This brought back memories of childhood. I think my best friend had one like this.

Another red and white that Sis needs.

All in all, I saw some great finds. I still have about 7 more local shops I want to scout around in before I start some serious purchasing for my kitchen.





Antique hopping yesterday...

I had some spare time today, so I took off and hit some local thrift stores and antique shops. I am getting ready to redo my master bathroom with a "beachy" theme. I'm calling it Beachy Bathroom on a Budget, since I don't want to sink a lot of money into it right now. But it currently has NO theme so I need to do something.

One thing I have learned in blog world is to relax when decorationg. Not everything has to be used for the purpose for which it is intended. I love seeing how others take something and use it somewhere you would never think of. Well, I found this awesome coffee cup to day at The SA Thrift Store...price 16 cents including the tax!

 

 

Isn't it adorable and just 16 cents! But what would you do with a coffee cup in a bathroom? Well......

What about a cute little soap dish? Your opinion please as this is temporary to see if I like it. I'm going to have to get blue, green or tan soap though in keeping with my beach theme.

After I left the Thrift Store, I popped in to the Antique Mall on Hwy 66 in Kodak, Tn.

I love that place. Three stories, old wood slat floors, and a wing jam-packed-crammed full of stuff. Lots and lots of stuff.

Remember my post for my kitchen shelf want list? Well, now I know where to go to get the old utensils.

Pyrex heaven.

Cute little blue creamer by Fire King.

More Pyrex.

Okay. I have got to go back and get this. I should have went ahead and bought it yesterday. How perfect would it be with my new love of old enamel kitchen items.

If I had a place to put this, I would snatch it up in a minute to store kitchen linens in. I have ton of them. This was $75.00 and in very sturdy condition. With the vintage look, it needed no work at all. I'm thinking I could put it in the spare room, the "beach" room and put a cute lighthouse lamp and a big light aqua blue bowl of large starfish and conch shells?  What do you think?

Check out these chairs. They had four of them under $20 each.

I don't know why, but I fell in love with this old picture. There is nothing spectacular about it, but I fell in love with it. Just no decor that it would fit in good with.

Check out the twin headboard and footboard. The third floor is loaded with tons and tons of old furniture and knick knacks that are great bargain finds.

Lots of little chairs and tables.

More little chairs.

Oodles and oodles of old pics in frames that could be reused for so many craft ideas See what I mean about the floors being plank flooring? A couple of places in third floor I worried I was going to end up on the second floor...fast.

Another old enamel pot.

But this is where I about died. Remember my kitchen self plans again. Remember I want old cookbooks. Guess what, one entire section about 6 shelves high totally loaded with old cookbooks.

I should have bought this Pillsbury Family Cookbook, but I didn't. Dumb move on my part.

And my favorite find of the day. An enamel coffee pot with four enamel matching cups. Cost: $35.00 for the set. I haven't researched enamel prices yet so not sure if that is a good buy or not, but I love anything that has a pineapple on it.

So you are probably wondering what I bought....nothing! I was heading somewhere and just stopped here on a whim. I had to breeze through pretty fast and didn't get to really take my time so I just snapped pics for reference and went on my way. I may have to go back one day this week.

Let the excitement begin...

It is official. As of yesterday, I am now an Independent Consultant for Thirty One. I am beyond thrilled. I was able to order my initial kit along with my Girl On The Go add on kit.

I am looking forward to this venture. I've lined up one party for January and four for February so far. The Spring Catalog will be available February 1st. New patterns, new products. And lots of ideas running through my head.

I see many blogs that discuss Thirty One, but I need to find out all the rules and regulations of what can and can't be discussed in blog world before I release my new blog dedicated to Thirty One and the multitude of product uses they have.

Hubby told me last night he could tell I was wired about all the excitement because it's the first time in forever that I haven't fallen asleep on the couch at 9:00!

I would love to hear from other Thirty One consultants about how you have grown your business or if you have a blog for your Thirty One.

Now I'm patiently awaiting my kit and supplies to arrive. It won't be easy since I'm not known as a very patient person.....especially when I'm excited about something.



$40.00 Pampered Chef for FREE

My Pampered Chef consultant is holding an awesome January Madness sale on Pampered Chef items. For anyone purchasing $100.00 worth of products, you can select an additional $40 worth of products ABSOLUTELY FREE! But the bargain doesn't stop there.

In addition to $40 in free product, you get to choose any one FREE item from the items below:

Bar Board...

Easy Read Measuring Colander

 Cutting Board

Clock Timer

And there is still more....

Everyone who places any size order will be placed in a drawing for half price and 60% off items!!!

          You can view the online catalog at www.pamperedchef.biz/michelemaples 

In order to receive the free products and be entered in the drawing, you must place your order direct through Michele Maples. You may contact her for any questions and to place your order by emailing Michele.maples@yahoo.com

The special cannot be given through the Pampered Chef website. Leave me a comment if you would like Michele to contact you.

Orders can be placed through Sunday, January 29, 2012 with a debit or credit card.

Today I'm Loving Lamps...

I don't know what it is about this time of year, but I just can't help myself. I want to do some rearranging and redecorating every spring. Oh, I don't mean a complete overall revamping. Just little things, like moving a lamp from here to there. Creating an arrangement of a few things to make a "new" look. I like to shop around the house and move things to make everything a little different.

One thing I am really starting to like is lamps. Everywhere. I have them in the living room, kitchen, my office, the bedroom. I'm looking for one right now to put in the bathroom that we are redoing in the beach theme. This one is really cute, but price wise? It ain't a gonna happen. $129.95. For a little lamp! Nope, not in this girls budget.



I'd like to find something like this one that I have in my kitchen, only with blue beach color to it. Then I could just get a shade that has a beach theme. I got this lamp years ago at Walmart for $7.00. At some point, it has been used in just about every room. But it is staying in the kitchen now.

My sister was looking at a blog the other day that had a lamp in the kitchen and a light bulb went off in her head. She had that same lamp somewhere upstairs and never used it. She had forgotten all about having it. So she got it out and placed it in the kitchen and she is loving it again.

It's funny how something we have forever is just "that old thing" to us and it gets relegated to storage. Then one day, thanks to blog world, we get inspired and everything old is new again. I love the look of her old lamp in her kitchen now.

Decorating a kitchen shelf...

Everywhere I have ever lived, we have had a cabinet over top of the refrigerator and had to use the actual top of the refrigerator to store something on that didn't have anywhere else to go. When we moved in our new place in October, I was beyond thrilled that everything fit in cabinets and my refigerator top would be clear and that I had an adorable shelf over top of the refrigerator that I could decorate. Here we are, three months later, and what have I done with it? I stuck a wooden rooster and a couple of harvest angels on it that are way to small for such a large area. I just haven't figured out what I want up there.

 

 But yesterday, inspiration hit. I am going to get a few antique cookbooks and put them on one side. I will need something to act as a bookend so I want an old vintage crock. I want to pick up some antique utensils like  beaters, mashers, an old spoon, to put in the crock.

On the other side of the shelf, I want an old vintage enamel pan. Well, actually I want this old vintage pan. I found it on Etsy for $12.00

On top of the refrigerator itself, I want to find an old printed dish towel.

And set another enamel pan on that. I'd really like it to be a vintage enamel colander. I love this one.

Those are my thoughts for now. First pretty day we get, I'm heading to the antique stores to see what I can find.