An Apple For The Teacher

Cuisine Kathleen's 

September Challenge

Apples

Although many schools in Texas begin 

a new school year in late August,

I always associate September with

 Back To School.

An Apple For The Teacher

My table is a tribute to teachers everywhere.

Centerpiece Simplicity

~ Faux Apples in a Basket ~

APPLES

by Helen H. Moore

Apples, apples, what a treat,

sweet and tart and good to eat.

Apples green and apples red,

hang from branches overhead,

and when they ripen, down they drop,

so we can taste our apple crop.

~ The Stack ~

Vintage Quilt ~ Irish Chain

Quilted Placemat

PB Chicken Wire Charger

Arita Tartan Charger

Rainbow Gate Apple Slice Plate

Vintage Mother of Pearl Flatware

Woven Water Vine Napkin Ring

Apple Green Glass Stem

Sweet Treat ~ Apple Pie
Trader Joe's

~ An Apple For The Teacher ~

The beautiful apple slice plate above 

was an end of school gift from my class in 1998.

Rainbow Gate Ceramics 

are handmade and painted in Santa Fe, NM.

Visit their site HERE to see the 

beautiful ceramics they offer.

Dog Days of Summer ~ A Refresher

According to ancient Rome,

Dog Days of Summer 

last from July 23 to August 24.

Well, I'm here to tell you that

with the Texas heat,

Dog Days

of lethargy and inactivity are still here.

It's definitely the season 
for afternoon naps

followed by a refreshing treat.

Like an icy cold 

glass of lemonade.

Along with a slice of

 delicious Meyer Lemon cake.

~ Lorina ~

Delicious ~ Sparkling ~ Lemonade

Nothing better on a hot summer day

than citrus drinks to quench one's thirst.

Any way you slice it,

this lemon cake is full of goodness.

Tangy with a 

touch of sweetness.

Elegant and Light

An afternoon citrus refresher.

"When are you going to stop talking 

and cut the cake, Mom?"

"I'm ready!"

The Perfect  Refresher

~ Dog Days of Summer ~

YUMMY!

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

One of the things I've gleaned from watching my "chef" 

is the importance of mise en place, having all ingredients

measured and prepared before one begins cooking.

This practice enables one to cook efficiently and eliminates

the possibility of leaving out a step or ingredient.

Another tip for you when making 

this recipe is to use a spring form pan.

Using a large flat spatula like 

above also allows easy transfer.

You'll find the recipe here

where I originally shared it for

 Cooking With The Meyers.
Silver trays, flatware, plates, and 
vase were all thrifty finds.

Joining

My Happy List @ Art at Home

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Let's Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen

Be Inspired @ Common Ground

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Tuesday Treasure @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Breakfast On The Terrace

Last week I invited you to 

join me for Cocktails On The Terrace here.

Both mornings and evenings have recently offered 

up pleasant breezes, so this week I thought you might

like to join me for Breakfast On The Terrace.

This cheerful tray is from  Le Cadeaux.

 ~ Fleur de Provence Yellow ~ 

A neighbor's recent return from a week in Provence 
has me reminiscing about our own past 
summer provencal vacances.
No summer trips for us this year,
so I have to make my summer fun here.
Join me for a little provencal escape.

Since retirement, I no 

longer get up with the roosters,

but occasionally one will join me for breakfast.

This handsome fellow, surrounded by some of the 
traditional "les indiennes" designs of the South of France, 
was a thrift store find.  I paid all of $3.00

for this delightful needlepoint pillow.

Most mornings I have a bowl 

of lemon yogurt with fresh berries.

Since you are joining me today 

I sliced up some fresh cantaloupe and

made another batch of lemon blueberry muffins.

You'll find the recipe here when I shared them for 

Foodie Friday Mystery Ingredient Club #1.

Coffee, dark and rich,

served in these sunny mugs.

 ~ Printemps by Sigma ~ 

I guarantee these 

lemon blueberry muffins 

are some of best ever!

I may just linger a while longer with my 
daydreams of sunny provence.

Thanks for stopping by.

Pink & Green ~ Springtime Favorites

Tuesday, March 15th

Third Annual St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl

@ Cuisine Kathleen

In honor of St. Patrick's Day

Kathleen is offering a $60 CSN gift card

for followers who leave a comment that day.

In addition, during the past week this thoughtful

lady has also given away three different sets of

gorgeous napkins, just in time for spring tables.

Pinks & Greens

Springtime Favorites

And I was one of the lucky winners.

Look at these beautiful pink and green Waverley towels

Don't they make beautiful napkins?

Pinks and greens were also the color choice for my first quilt project. When I retired in 1998, one of the first things on my "Retirement Bucket List" was to learn to quilt. I signed up to take a beginning class at a local quilt shop. Six weeks later, I had completed a quilt top pieced with pink and green fabrics that I'd had collected over several years.

Unfortunately the course didn't include lessons in the actual quilting of the top. Each individual could decide to hand quilt or machine quilt. If you read the "signature" above, you'll note that I did neither. After years of procrastinating, my sister-in-law graciously agreed to hand quilt it for me in 2006.

Can you see those perfect little stitches? Each one was lovingly stitched by my sister-in-law, Glenda. Thus I named this quilt, Heartfelt. It's a lap quilt perfect for curling up under on a cool spring evening.

The quilt above is named The Sister-In-Law Quilt.

Do you notice the same pink and green fabrics of Heartfelt? My frugal and talented sister-in-law took the unused fabric squares from my project and created her own special pink and green quilt. She pieced and hand quilted this one in the fall of 2007. Not only is she a talented quilter, she obviously isn't a procrastinator like me.

This is the back of Glenda's guilt. I so admire her creative spirit. Don't you just love the unique design? And take a look at that remarkable hand stitched pattern of the quilting.

Thanks for stopping by today for a little of my

Springtime Favorites

in Pink and Green.

Click below to join others for

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

A Few of My Favorite Things @

Bargain Hunting & Shopping w/ Laurie

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Summer Solstice Porch Party

It's a Porch Party!

Rhondi @ Rose Colored Glasses is again hosting her popular Porch Party to celebrate the first day of summer. Please, come in.

It's already hot here in Texas, so I thought we'd relax out in the sunroom. Originally this room was a screened in porch, but we added doors and windows with Phantom Screens in order to enjoy this space year round. We open it up when the weather is agreeable, but we can also heat and cool this space. It is where we spend much of our time reading and relaxing.

I've been reading LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS. It's a great read, and I'll tell you all about this book at the next Food for Thought. I have a stack of beautiful books on Americana that I've been enjoying again this summer.

Have a spot here on the chaise; Uncle Sam is already here. I know it's still two weeks till we celebrate the 4th of July, but summer here at HFTS means we enjoy red, white, and blue and all things patriotic from June through August.

This space is the perfect spot for a few indoor plants . . .

And tabletops to display a bit of Americana.

Vintage post cards and a few Uncle Sam figures share this space.

I've filled the Nantucket baskets with fresh flowers.

Blue iris, white stock, and summer asters

The Uncle Sam figure is paper maché and was made by Carole Watts in 2002.

With the hot weather here in Texas, I thought you might like a glass of ice cold tea with fresh mint sprigs.

I made you a little something sweet. We have tangy lemon bars and rich chocolate brownie bites.

Fresh cherries are abundant in the summer, so as long as they are available we have a bowl full at the ready. Help yourself to a few of these sweet treats.

Would you like to take a stroll outside?

During the cooler months of spring and fall, we like to eat meals out here on the terrace.

There are lots of large old trees back here so this is mostly a shade garden.

The white hydrangea seems to like the conditions in this garden, though it's still a small plant.

We had a severe winter this past year, and little that was planted in these urns survived. I replanted them with geraniums, coleus, and a variety of ferns.

I planted a variety of white geraniums in some of the urns and beds. They must like the shade conditions because they are still blooming while the geraniums in sunny spots have all stopped producing blooms.

It's always calming to hear the sound of the fountains.

Oh, Mr. Rabbit wants me to remind you that this upcoming Saturday, June 26th, is the date of the 2010 Mad Hatter's Party @ A Fanciful Twist. Click on the button on my sidebar for all the details.

Thank you for stopping by today. Click here to go over to Rhondi's to see a list of others participating in the 2010 Summer Porch Party. Thank you, Rhondi!

This post will also be linked to the following weekly memes. Thank you to all who host these fun events this week.

Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally's

Rednesday @ Sue Loves Cherries

Outdoor Wednesday @ A Southern Daydreamer

Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home