Tablescape Tuesday

Welcome to Tablescape Tuesday.
Please visit Susan from Between Naps on the Porch for a list of all of today's participants.

I've added my pumpkin bowls and tureen to the hutch.
What do you think?

It Makes a Mother Proud!

     In honor of Jacob receiving one of the highest scores (an 896 out of  899) on the  Minnesota Comprehensive 8th Grade Science Exam,  I baked him his favorite -   a Carrot Cake.

     I used the recipe from the Pine to Prairie Cookbook.  It is from the Telephone Pioneers of America, C. P. Wainman - Chapter #18

     I modified the recipe just a bit...

Carrot Cake

2c. sugar

1 1/4 c. oil

4 eggs

2 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. nuts (I used walnuts)

3 c. grated carrots

1/2 c. raisins

1 T. vanilla 

Grease & flour 9 x13 pan or 2 -  8" round pans.

Mix & bake at 350 degrees for 45 Min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. Philly cream cheese - room temp

1 stick of butter - room temp

4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

chopped nuts as desired

     I am so proud of him.  It was such a nice surprise to open the envelope and discover the 

scores.    Way to Go Jacob!  

Happy Pink Saturday!

Welcome to Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly, 

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Be sure to visit Beverly's blog to see a complete list of all  the 

participants in today's Pink Saturday.

     My Gardens Last Hurrah!

     Everyone is decorating for fall and it is hard for me to begin.  My Garden does not  want me to give in.  It just keeps blooming and blooming!   The dahlias are so vibrant they just glow!   My Scarlet O'Hare morning glories had a slow start, but wow!   And who doesn't like impatiens?

      Last but not least, is a rose from Sven or is it Ole,  I forget.  I planted them both side by side.  They are the new hardy rose bushes for our northern climate.  Hope you enjoy the flowers as much as I do and I hope you have a Happy Pink Saturday! ~ Robyn

Tablescape Tuesday

   Last year in Foods class Jacob had to prepare a meal at home and set the table.  We documented his project with pictures and he received an A+, of course!

Now here's the part I rarely see, thank goodness it's documented in pictures!

My Dining Room Chair Seats Are Going Flat - Does That Mean My Butt Is Getting Fat?

    Yep, it's that time again.  The dining room chairs need to be recovered.  The padding inside has gone kaput!   They just don't make padding like they used too.  I mean geez, I thought I just did them....

      I ran to JoAnn Fabrics  this afternoon and lucky me the decorator fabrics were on sale!   I took a stroll through all the bolts of fabrics - too light, too shiny, too much blue (sorry Sally), too red - I have a more brick/terra cotta color throughout, floral pattern too big, too busy, too plain, too thin - lots of fabrics I loved, but just not right for this application.   Here is a swatch of the Capel braided rug that is under the table.   The dining room table and chairs were hand crafted in Montana.  The chairs are made of oak and are very solid.   What I would really like is new  sheath back chairs.  I think that they would mimic the base nicely.   

 

                                                           

      But for now, I have to re-do the chairs I have.  

      

     Here are a few photos of some fabrics that appealed to me.  Please let me know which one you would chose.

A    B      C   

These are readily available at JoAnn Fabrics.

            Then I found these swatches online at http://www.cottagechicstore.com.

  

     And Because of Blue Monday I am enclosing this photo of my lunch from our little shopping excursion this weekend.  (Could this be the reason my seats are flat?)

Hope you have a nice day,  

Robyn

I'm Heading to the Porch....

    Ahhh!  A Pink Saturday spent out on the porch curled up with a good book and a dish of strawberry ice cream.   Mmmmm!   I Hope You Have A Great Day! ~ Robyn

DOGS ON THURSDAY!

     Here is an update on this poor dogs ear.   And yet he still smiles.  It does look better. He doesn't scratch it any more. Thank Goodness!  But it is due for it's evening clean-out and squirt of medicine.  He is such a good boy.  All I have to say is "Get your ear over here and I'll fix'er up for you."  and he comes a runnin'.     The vet gave him some tablets to take and he just takes them - no tricks needed.   

     Notice the speghetti and meatball "moosh -ka".   He passed all his other tests at the vet with flying colors.   Teeth beautiful! and so on and they don't even think he's obese!

     Don't forget to vote for me at the Color Outside the Lines decorating contest!  The link is right there on my sidebar.  Thanks!

Hideously Hilarious

I stumbled upon the coolest site yesterday that I thought you would all enjoy. Once I landed there I couldn't tear myself away. Jacob and my Mom joined in and we were laughing hysterically. It is a blog mostly devoted to professional bakery cakes that have gone hideously and hilariously wrong. A few like the ones pictured here are cakes that people actually received and were submitted by some of their many followers. I chose just a few to share with you because I wanted you to experience the best ones for yourself. The blog is called Cake Wrecks.

Hope you enjoy the site as much as we did. ~ Robyn

I'm In The Top Ten - Please Vote For Me!!!!

This is a shameless plug!

I am a FINALIST in a decorating contest.  ME.

ArtieBen, from Color Outside the Lines

has selected ME to be in the Top 10!

Now it's up to his visitors to select the winner!

The winner of the contest wins 

a $200 Gift Card to Calico Corners!

Please click HERE to vote for ROBYN - Thanks!  XXXO! :)

Tablescape Tuesday and I've Been Tagged!

First things first.   I have been tagged by Susan at our favorite sight Between Naps on the Porch.  http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com     I have to list seven Random or Weird Things about me.  

       It was hard to narrow it down to just seven....Here goes....

1. I have to sleep with the TV on.  If it shuts off in the middle of the night, I instantly wake up and turn it right back on.
2. I'm afraid to drive over bridges - and not just because of the Minneapolis 35W bridge collapse.  My arms get like rubber.  It's even scarier when I have my son with me because I fear that I could kill us both.
3. Keeping in the driving vane - I avoid all highways.  I always take the back way whenever possible.   Just call me a wimp - I don't care.
4. I'm almost a shop-a-holic, I  put items in my cart and then I walk around just long enough to talk myself out of them and put them back. (Not everything, though...)
5. I enjoy a baking challenge.  There isn't a bread recipe or a three layer cake that I won't try - I like the WOW! Factor!
6. If it's not chocolate -it's Old Dutch potato chips and Top the Tater Chip Dip!   With a Diet Coke, of course!
7. I can't live without my laptop!  It's gotta be handy at all times.  The  laptop and the TV going at all times! LOL
   

    Now on to the best part - The Tablescape!

     It was a rainy afternoon with nothing better to do.  I asked my Mom if she wanted to have a little lunch and watch a movie.   So here is a quick little lunch setting with my favorite red heart plates on my vintage table cloth,  and always with my Gramma's little bird salt & pepper shakers.  

 

     Our lunch was nothing fancy.  I just doctored up a frozen pizza.  Added a sweet gypsy pepper,  fresh basil and oregano from my patio, onion slices, and more pepperoni.  Topped off with Romano and mozzerella grated cheeses it was as  delicious as a frozen pizza could get.   Good enough for a movie.  We also had a little antipasto salad.  My new favorite dressing is White Balsamic from Girard's. Mmmm!

     

  

     And you always have to have buttered popcorn with your movie.  We watched Baby Mama.

All I will say, in case you haven't watched it yet, is that I prefer the alternate ending.

Robyn

The Glory of Gardening

     The Glory of Gardening:  hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.   Alfred Austin

Yea, It's Thursday!!!

Well, T-G-I-Th,! I only work a four day week so today is my "Friday" so to speak. But boy what a day it was. It was more like a day and a half at work today. It was Root Canal Central! I felt like I was working at the specialty endodontist office. It wouldn't be so bad, but you have to set out everything but the kitchen sink for a root canal. With all the infection control techniques today everything needs to be sterilized or disposed of between each patient. (Think of super spring cleaning over and over all day long - no wonder my house looks like it does....) I was just about to call it a day when a long standing patient sauntered in at 4:45 with a toothache! Oh no, Here we go again. I made it home at 7 PM! 7PM! Thank Gosh It's Thursday and Jacob doesn't have any homework!

But another great reason it's Thursday is because it is Dogs On Thursday!

Poor Miles. He has an ear infection. I have to take him to the vet tomorrow. I thought maybe it was mites. I bought mite cleaner. It's not. Poor Baby. Poor me. That will cost me a million bucks..... :(. But you gotta do, what you gotta do!

I've created a smiling fool! Now whenever I pull out my camera - Miles comes runnin' and poses and smiles. I took a pic of Jacob's first day of high school and front and center is Miles!

Down in the basement I have the basket that my four other schnauzers have all curled up in, but Miles, you know - just kept growing, and growing and he tries to fit into it once in a while. But here he is - all scrunched in - but he's posing and smiling!