Need a Thanksgiving Tablescape Idea?

I am serving as a counselor in Relief Society over Relief Society meetings.  I invited my board over for a get-to-know you breakfast this past Saturday morning.  It was so enjoyable to plan and prepare to have people over.  It was bitter sweet as I remembered doing the same kind of thing many times over in our previous home in Keller, Texas.  I constantly remind myself that I haven't 'lost' friends, I'm simply making new ones.  To my friends old and new, here's a few pictures of my table that you might enjoy.  Who knows, you might even use a few of these ideas at your own tables this Thanksgiving...

I love fall.  It's no wonder the colors in my home reflect these dark, warm tones.  I've used a rust colored table cloth, fall leaves (from Pottery Barn) sprinkled all over the table, various gourds around the table, mini pumpkins at each table setting and of course, a few acorn candles to add that 'touch' to the table. 

I love dishes!  Over the years, I have collected a few different sets.  These are the carmel brown and olive green sets that I picked up on sale at Costco (my favorite store) years ago.  I mix and match the two sets.  I think it makes for a more interesting table.

These sets of dishes came with their own leaf bread plate.  I love it!  I think every table needs a touch of whimsy.

I love chargers.  Over the years this is another thing I have collected.  They add the 'Wow' factor to an individual table setting.  Here, I have used a dark brown rattan as the base charger with an antique gold charger on top of it.  Then, I have placed my main plate with a salad plate with a delicious yogurt parfait on top.  The luncheous plate makes for easy and elegant removal of a finished parfait. 

Let's face it, we don't set the table with chargers for dinner every night.  I only break out the chargers for special occasions.  So, when your guests sit down, they immediately know this is a special occasion and they are special guests. 

As I write this, I have a big lump in my throat thinking about my dear friend, Stacey Williams.  She is a master floral designer.  When any of us had a special occasion that needed flowers, there was no one else we'd rather turn to than 'Our Stacey'.  She never turned us down, and always came up with the most beautiful, out of the box arrangements I have ever seen.  I have learned so much from her.  As I arranged this simple centerpiece, I thought of how proud she would be of me.  I guess the best in us does rub off on others.  I know the best of Stacey, in more ways than just flower arranging, has rubbed off on me.  Thank you, dear friend!!!!

Take a simple pumpkin, cut off the top and take out the seeds.  Buy 2 bunches of beautiful flowers.  (Always buy more flowers than you'll think you'll need.  Believe me, you'll need them.  And even if you have extra flowers, you'll think of something to do with them; like placing individual, small vases with flowers at every table setting, or setting a small, fresh bouquet near the bathroom sink where your guests will say, 'She thought of everything!')  Then, think beautiful, happy thoughts and just add flowers one at a time until your amazing centerpiece emerges.  I promise, it will!!

Here's bonus pictures of our buffet.  Egg and cheese souffles from Panerra Bread.  (Someday I will learn how to make them.  They are awesome!)  Individual hash browns made in a muffin pan.  (Hit. Total hit!)Fresh cinnamon rolls, blueberry muffins and flaky croissants with fresh butter and homemade raspberry and triple berry jam.  And in case you didn't notice, there were individual yogurt parfaits waiting for guests at each table setting.  Simple, easy, delicious!

40, Over the Hill? Never!

My sweet friend, Angi, (that's right, there's no 'e'), turned the BIG 4-0 in March.  And you just can't have too much of a good thing, so we're still celebrating!  Krista, Angi and I enjoyed The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber at the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas this week.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is probably most noted for his musicals, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Sunset Boulevard,  and Jesus Christ Superstar.  But I was pleasantly surprised to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Starlight Express and a few others in the playbill. 

Selected songs from these amazing musicals were sung by previous Broadway singers whose voices were phenomenal.  I enjoyed watching the Dallas Symphony Orchestra preform just as much as the vocalists. 

All in all, it was a fun night spend with friends who are in the "Fabulous Forty Club!!"  (And I'd say, we look pretty darn good!)

How can one man have so much talent?

Fabulous and Forty!!

Bravo!!

Pride and Prejudice

Little did Jane Austen know in 1811 that her novels would be favorites of one, Mikenzie Fitzpatrick, almost two centuries later.  If she were alive today, Mikenzie would be the president of her fan club!

Last Friday evening, Mikenzie, Kellie and I attended the opening performance of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center's production of Pride and Prejudice.  We had a wonderful time.  The theater only seats 100 or so,  Of course, we had to have front row seats.  The performance was fantastic.  I have a renewed respect for the talent and skill that these actors and actresses have.  Just memorizing the lines alone is enough to make my head spin. 

Miss Elizabeth Bennet was a gem, played by a fiesty red head.  (Gee, who does that remind you of...)  Her hair was true to her character.  And of course Mr. Darcy was as handsome as ever.  And when they finally kissed at the end, well, let's just say, we all were swooning!

What a fun evening spent with two of my girls.  We've got to do it again, soon! 

"I have no pretensions whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man."

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously.... Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."

The small, intimate audience seating.

"How little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue."

The stage.

"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life."

"Best Buds"

Let's Play Hooky!!

I have NEVER let my kids play hooky.  At least not until we got killer matinee tickets to see Phantom of the Opera at Dallas Fair Park.

What fun we had sleeping in, enjoying a wonderful lunch together and topping it all off seeing one of the the BEST Broadway shows ever!   I think the kids loved it!!  (I know I did!)

Row 10, just off center.  Not too shabby!

The infamous crashing chandelier.

The stage and scenery is second to none.

The musicians were absolutely FANTASTIC!

A Standing "O"

BRAVO!!

It's an American Idol Kind-of Night

On any given Tuesday and Wednesday nights during the school year, you can find our family comfortably sitting in front of the TV watching the latest American Idol competition. We admire the courage and talent of each performer. We cheer for them and hold our breath as Randy, Kara, Paula and Simon give their opinions of their individual performances. As each episode ends, we race to the telephone to vote for our favorite Idols. We can hardly believe we have to wait a whole week until we gather again in front of the TV to watch our favorites perform their newest songs.


Last night we didn't have to wait at all to see our favorite Idols perform. The last 10 American Idols each performed 3-4 songs in their entirety. It was three solid hours of an American Idol's fan dream! Here's a little peek at an awesome night at the American Airlines Center.

Scott MacIntyre was absolutely incredible!

SO much better in person than TV.

Could be another Michael W. Smith.

Matt Girard sang his heart out!

This guy can TOTALLY play the piano and sing.


Six Idols together.
Michael - a nice guy riding this wave as far as it can take him.
Lil' Rounds - can you say, hair extensions?
Anoop - he's riding the same wave Michael's on.
Matt - look for him to go places!
Megan - Absolutely gorgeous! (except for that tatoo on her arm.)
Scott - He's going places too! SO MUCH BETTER IN PERSON!!


So much fun!

Allison ROCKED THE HOUSE with

Heart's 'Barracuda'.

This chick can sing!

A favorite. Danny Gokey.

I would TOTALLY buy his CD.
Danny sings brilliantly and with such emotion.

Adam Lambert. Need I say more?

This boy's middle name is ENTERTAINER.

And he ABSOLUTELY has the talent to back it up!!

Adam can sing serious hard rock and emotional ballads just as well.

You actually can feel yourself being sucked into his songs. Awesome.

I have to say, Adam looked GOOD.

He's been working out, for sure.
(And man, can he move those hips!!)

American Idol Winner, Kris Allen.

"Aint No Sunshine"

Kris alone on the piano.

Awesome!

All 10 American Idols.

"Don't Stop Believing"

You know you're getting old when the pendulum has swung so far,

it's swung back and your kids think this is a new song.
It was great in the 80's and it's still great now!

(Truth be told, Adam owns this show!!)

A fantastic night with my favorite people!!

Summer Catch-Up

Where has half the summer gone? I know. I have taken a bit of a vacation from my blog. So let's play a little summer catch-up, shall we?

We started off the summer by taking a short trip to Phoenix, Arizona. The occasion? Our dear friends, Jan and Jeff Skousen, were being sealed to their precious daughters, Mittea Sue and Annaliese Gayle, in the Mesa, Arizona temple. To say this was a joyous occasion would be a serious understatement.

On a beautiful, warm, Saturday morning, these sweet girls joined their parents in the holy temple to finally become a forever family. I can only say that even thinking back to this day makes my throat swell and tears come to my eyes. Some days we are given the opportunity to glimpse eternity. This was one of them. Thanks, Jan and Jeff, for being our special friends and inviting us to share in this special occasion with you.

The love of a mother.

The adoration of a father.

The joy of a family.

Our Gangs.

Bob and I, our dear friends, Jan and Jeff and Dave and Michelle were all newleyweds together. It's hard to believe that over 20 years later, this is what we've become. It's a pretty good-looking bunch, if I do say so myself. It was so much fun to all be together again!

You know you have true friends, when it's been years since you've all been together, yet it seems like just yesterday. We're planning our next trip together. Any ideas?

We also spent some time with Nanny and Pop. The girls stayed with Nanny and their cousins, Julie and Natalie up at Aunt Cheryl's house. They went bowling, swimming and had fun just hanging out.

Blake stayed with us at Nanny and Pop's house in Tempe. Blake loves hanging out with Pop. They went go-cart racing and ate their fair share of ice cream. Blake's favorite is mint-chocolate chip.

Bob's sister, Karen, and her husband, Tom, invited us up to their house in Gold Canyon for a delicious bar-be-que. My, how the area has grown. When we lived in Phoenix, Mesa and Gilbert from 1987-1997, we would have thought we were half-way to nowhere where Tom and Karen's house is located. But now, it is a sprawling, beautifully laid out area with growth everywhere you look!

Tom and Karen are expecting thier first baby in October. Their world is about to rocked!!! Truthfully, they'll make fantastic parents. (By, the way, Tom is a master at the grill! If you're in town, try to get yourself an invite. I'll promise you, it'll be better than any restaurant in town!)

AN ENCORE DATE WITH MY AMERICAN GIRL

What could be more fun than an afternoon with my American Girl, her American Girl friend and her Mom? Not anything I can think of. We dined on yummy appetizers and salads. And an afternoon out with friends wouldn't be complete without dessert. What do you think? Doesn't it look like a faboulous time! It was!!

The cutest American Girls ever!

American Girls having lunch with their American Moms and one very cute American Baby

Now, tell me, doesn't that look delicious!

WOO-HOO! MY MOM, SISTER AND HER KIDS

COME FOR A TEXAS VISIT!!

I have been looking forward to having my mom, my sister, Danae and her adorable 4 kids come to Texas for months now. It took tickets to see Andre Bocelli to actually get them on the road to come. But it was worth it!

The kids played, swam, played and swam. Throw in a few (okay, a lot) of video and computer games and a tea party or two and I'd say the cousins had a fantastic time together. Too bad Blake and Braden got 2nd degree burns the first few days outside in the pool. They spent 3 days without their shirts trying not to move. Thankfully, a few days later they could move their arms again.

I love just spending time with my mom and sister. We played scrabble, cooked, shopped and just enjoyed each other's company (all the while trying to keep track of an adorable 2 year old!) Here's a few things we did together.

We grilled outside. These vegetables were awesome!

We made cake balls.
WARNING!!! You can't just eat one!

We treated ourselves to the most luxurious pedicures!
Pretty, don't you think!

The kids just had to sleep out.

Andrea Bocelli, the famous Italian tenor.
This concert was absolutely awesome!!


My beautiful mom, Kathy, me and my adorable sister, Danae.

A week later we saw the amazing group Il Divo.

Simon Cowell, of American Idol fame is the brain-child behind this group. The idea behind Il Divo's creation came to Cowell after listening to Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's rendition of Con te partirò. Aware of this new appreciation for lyrical voices and classical music, he decided to form a multinational quartet (the members hail from Spain, Switzerland, France, and the United States, and the name being in Italian) that tried to recreate the style of The Three Tenors.

Simon Cowell conducted a worldwide search for young singers who were willing to embark on the Il Divo project, which lasted two years, from 2001 until December 2003, when the fourth member of Il Divo, American tenor David Miller, was signed. The well-established formation of Il Divo comprises a renowned Spanish opera and Spanish baritone, Carlos Marín; two classically trained tenors, Swiss Urs Bühler and American David Miller; and a French pop singer, Sébastien Izambard. If you haven't heard Il Divo, treat yourself, you won't be sorry!

Do you remember having your first crush on a 'rock' star? Was it Donny Osmond? Or was it the Bay City Rollers? Well, my adorable mother has this same kind of crush on these amazing four 'gentlemen'. Half of the fun of this night was just watching my mother enjoy this concert. I learned from my mom that you're never too old to enjoy the voices (okay, 'swoon') over the voices of four gorgeous men. (And, they're not half-bad to look at, either!) Which one is your favorite today, Mom?

A HOT TEXAS NIGHT WITH

A HOT, KEITH URBAN

What better to do on a hot Texas night that to see one of the Hottest Male Country Artists, Ever, Keith Urban. This concert did not dissapoint. I have to say, nearly 24 hours later, my ears are still humming a bit. Worth the temporary hearing loss? ABSOLUTELY!!!

Keith and his band.

It's hard to believe 6 musicians can make that much sound.

My girl LOVES Keith Urban!

I'm not sure we sat down all night!

As amazing singer as Keith is,

he is just as amazing at playing his guitars.

OK. Keith REALLY WAS THIS CLOSE TO US!!!

(And yes, he is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!)

The Encore in a Dallas Mav's jersey!

(An American Airlines Center tradition.)

Awesome. Seriously, Awesome.

What a fun summer so far. It's so great to not be in a hurry to get anywhere in the mornings, to read the paper at a leisurely pace and just enjoy my kids. I love the simple things the most. Thursday morning movies with the kids at Harkins, strolling Central Market for tonight's dinner and just enjoying a good book.

Hopefully, you're summer is just as enjoyable! Stay cool! And enjoy the journey!