Sunday Supper

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I would love to entertain more but I look around my house and all I see are chairs that need to be reupholstered, walls that need to painted, etc.  But Jeff brought home a pot roast and I decided at the last minute to invite my sister and friend over for dinner.  If I waited until my house was perfectly decorated, I'd be 92.  And I love the idea of always making a big dinner on Sunday evenings. I'd like to make it a tradition for Stella to enjoy.

Preparing for a dinner is almost as much fun as the dinner itself.  I also love to unearth vases and serving pieces I forgot I owned.  I set out these little darling ashtrays in the shape of a heart, spade, club, and diamond...

And I got to use my new spongeware bowl again...

(table setting in progress)

I set out smoked Gouda pimento cheese with Rosemary Raisin Pecan Raincoast Crisps.  It's a wonderful sweet and smokey combination.  Both items I found at Whole Foods and I can't recommend this enough for your next gathering.

I made mashed potatoes, gravy, and roasted carrots to go with the pot roast.  For dessert, I made a key lime pie and paired it with a scoop of raspberry sorbet (but remind me to try this flavor next time I get sorbet...yum!).  It was a great feeling to not care that my kitchen needs to be completely renovated or that I haven't found the perfect mirror for the fireplace.  We had a good time and I can't wait to do it again! 

Spongeware

True Confession:  Sometimes I slip away from the office at lunchtime and sneak into our local Salvation Army.  I have found some really wonderful gems in there.  My friend, Katie, from high school, who is a teacher and also owns her own stationery business (and has twins - beyond impressed with her energy!), recently posted about using a recipe out of a $1 cookbook she found at Goodwill.  So I know I'm not alone.  

My latest find was a big blue and white spongeware bowl for $2.50.  I've shied away from this look in the past, worried it looked too country.  And while I have no plans to amass a collection like this one below, I am finding the need to find more pieces.  It would make for a fun table on the 4th or a bowl filled with lemons would be so pretty.  Lately, I've just been making summer salads in my bowl.  I think these two images show how fresh spongeware can look without going too country.     

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The New Eighteenth-Century

I have this book, The New Eighteenth-Century Style, published a few years ago and love it. 

So I'm excited to see if the follow up, The New Eighteenth-Century Home, which features 29 newly photographed homes, is just as much of a treat.  Has anybody seen this one yet?

The Glow

The Glow feels like the mom and child version of The Selby...an at-home glimpse of inspiring mothers.   

Tipsy Parson

I'm putting this adorable spot on my To Visit list the next time I return to New York. 

Random Weekend Thoughts

Stella and I took a mini-road trip this weekend... 

...to a little Texas town that has been recorded as

the hottest in the US. 

The heat made Stella extra punchy.

Ya'll have a great Monday!

Stay cool.

A Plate A Day

A Plate A Day is a blog which highlights a plate every day and, if available, a link to where you can purchase.  Interesting concept.  And as you can see, the styles run the gamut. 

 

More Wayne Pate Love

A few random things I'm loving of Wayne Pate's...

His picture of crane scissors because I have a pair that I love.

"Central Park" by Bella Foster,

produced exclusively for waynepate.com and

will soon be available to purchase.

A snapshot of this wonderfully big potted plant...  

Happy Birthday Natalie!

Ames

I'm a little late on posting about this but it takes me a while to watch recorded shows.

AMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, I could not be his mother or sister b/c he would break my heart on a daily basis. Well, it was easier to know that Ashley is SO wrong for him (because I'm right for him!).  Sprezzatura?!  Sigh...On a side note, loved his family, farm, house, etc.  Are you watching The Bachelorette?  I know this has been a weird season and was a turn-off for a lot but I'm still watching. 

Diner II

I have this post card of Jackie and John F Kennedy in an Oregon diner in 1959.  It is one of my all time favorite pictures of them and one you don't often see.  Doesn't it say so much?  I even love the Goodyear sign in the background.     

"Diner II" photographed by Jacques Lowe

Random Weekend Thoughts

After I forwarded this link about The Doughnut Vault to my friend who is from Chicago, she in turn suggested we check out Hypnotic Donuts.  It's like a donut speakeasy...there is no sign on the door, it operates out of a pizza place only on weekend mornings, and when you walk in, you'd never know they sold donuts because they aren't on display.  You have to look at the donuts on-line before you go.  They'll soon be moving to a location of their own around White Rock Lake where you don't have to knock three times before entering.  

Yes, that is bacon.  Maple and bacon and it's appropriately named, Canadian Healthcare.

After all the sugar we were in need of some running around at the park.  This is Stella with her  friend, Blake... 

We also hit up the farmers market downtown for some flowers.

This is Texas, y'all...

Ruibal's is the best place to hit up when you need a lot of flowers.  And we needed a lot.  Ours grew legs and were threatening to run off on their own.

We're having our second hottest summer on record here so finding flowers that look good right now that can withstand the heat is hard!  But even in the heat, it's also hard to be this cool...

Word.

   

The Boardwalk

Nelle - this one's for you! 

Asbury Park, NJ boardwalk where Jeff and I would zip up our hoodies in the winter and take walks, pre-restoration,  browsing through the only open business, a huge antique store, which is no longer there, and exploring the dilapidated but beautiful buildings. 

I went back two years ago and had drinks with a friend overlooking the boardwalk.  Then missed my train and felt like I was in my 20's again sitting at a train station, heading back to NYC from a weekend at the beach. 

Thanks for a trip down memory lane, Nelle!

Frozen Key Lime

When I go to the grocery store, I am a creature of habit and usually stock up on the same ole same ole.  But I put something new in my cart and yum!  So glad I did.  It was really a summer treat for Stella but I took a tiny bite of hers.  If you love key lime pie, you will love Ciao Bella's Key Lime Graham Gelato Squares.     

An English Garden

Often times, I wish my backyard looked like this...

And then I realize I don't operate a nursery nor do I have a church as my backdrop.  But the beautiful Petersham Nurseries, an hour outside of London, does.  I so wish we had something like this here in Dallas.  A nursery, a tea house, cafe, and shop.  I'd spend hours there...