Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Tales of the Traveling Totes # 10 ~ The Adventures Continue








Welcome to Tales of the Traveling Totes # 10.

When Patti organized our little group of tote travelers

in 2015, who would have guessed that we'd

be continuing the fun two years later

and adding new travelers along the way.





Yes, exciting news!  Another traveler has hopped on board.

Meet Katie and her traveling partner, Miss Daisy.



I first met Katie through her blog, Preppy Empty Nester

 and have since had the fun of meeting up with Katie

  here in Austin as well as on Cape Cod this past summer.





With a header like this, Katie definitely belongs in this group!

Katie is a perfect fit for The Tales of the Traveling Totes series. 





Katie is the master of wit and humor with weekly musings on 

Hodgepodge Wednesday, Friday Files, and other frequent posts

where she shares beautiful homes and places

of interest in and around Boston.

Chowdah and Chili, her faithful companions, 

 will no doubt be involved in the fun.




As for Miss Merri Mac and the other Courtly Check girls here,

 we've been staying pretty close to home of late 

 with only a few nearby getaways.

 An overnight Mah Jongg retreat with a group 

 of twelve friends, took us to an amazing lake house 

 on the shores of Lake LBJ.

 Too cold to be on the water, but the view was spectacular.

Anyway, we were way too busy inside with a Mah Jongg

 tournament, playing into the wee hours of the morning.





Mid January found Miss Merri Mac and me 
on the road with the CAMEO group
for antique shopping in the Texas hill country
as we made our way to the beautiful 
Frio Canon on the Frio River.





After a full day of shopping in the small hill country towns,
we settled in at this beautiful Frio River property.


Lots of delicious food and laughter as we stayed up late
enjoying the company of good friends.




Everyone likely knows about the fall and spring 
antique markets in Round Top, Texas 
and surrounding area, but did you know 
that there is a winter show too?  
It’s just one venue at the Big Red Barn.




  
The weather isn’t always the best,


but who cares when antique treasures await.






Our most recent jaunt was up to Dallas to 


meet up with  Quimper collector  friends.


You may recall the gathering last year that I shared here.  


I had conflicts for arriving in time for 


the beautiful sale and luncheon, but I didn't want to miss


seeing the friends who flew or drove in for the annual event.  


Miss Merri Mac and I hopped on one of the new Vonlane buses 


and headed to Dallas for a few days of fun with Dallas friends.





I didn't take many photos, 
but I saw a wealth of beautiful Quimper!




To Visit Previous Miss Merri Mac Adventures

Just click on number links below. 

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5 # 6, #7, #8, #9, and also
here, here, here, and here.



The Traveling Tote Girls are giving away

 this lovely green MacKenzie-Childs Flower Market vase

 just in time for your spring bouquets.

 To be entered you must leave a comment on this post.

Giveaway is now closed.
Congratulations to our winner,  Bonnie @ Living With Thanksgiving!


~ Don't Miss the Fun ~
More Tales of the Traveling Totes
at the links below.



Join Us June 1st


for the next Traveling Tote Adventure.

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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Table Talk ~ Galentine's Day




Valentine's Girlfriends' Dinner Party ~ 2017
Those of you who follow along here at Hyacinths for the Soul
may remember that a group of my girlfriends
formed a small dinner group in the early 1980s.
We gather for dinner to celebrate
 birthdays, holidays, or just because.

Monday evening, February 13th, we celebrated 
Valentine's 2017 with dinner here. 
I read that February 13th is Galentine's Day.
I had to google to see what that is.
~ Galentine's Day ~
I'd say that's exactly what we celebrated this year.

Last year I had great fun mixing my 
MacKenzie-Child's Courtly Check 
with a Queen of Hearts theme for a CAMEO meeting in our home.
You can read about this table here.

I wanted to do something different this year,
yet retain the same theme, 
using both the black and white
and the Queen of Hearts.

I gathered my group of Queen of Hearts 
figures on a tray for my centerpiece.

Patience Brewster's regal Queen was there, along
with Hop Hopping Boo's tall, skinny whimsical gal.

Lori Mitchell's darling Queen of Hearts 
joined my collection this year.

As did this miniature version of Pier I's larger
Queen of Hearts that came home with me last year.
This petite lady has dangly legs, so I propped her on the edge 
of the valentine tin used as a cache pot.

It's always fun to see the different artists' 
creative interpretation of the Queen of Hearts.
Allen Cunningham's on the left, 
and Mary Engelbreit's on the little box.

I set the table with black and white dishes 
and a good helping of brilliant gold.
I thought it looked pretty regal!

Quilted red placemats with a scalloped edge anchored the stack.
White Charger ~ Ambiance Vintage Garden
Gold Fluted Glass Dinner Plate ~ Maker Unknown
Salad Plate ~ Cynthia Rowley
Crystal Dessert Stem ~ Maker Unknown
Crystal Wine Stem ~ Crystal D'Arques
Flatware ~ Sir Christopher by Wallace

At the brilliant suggestion of my sweet friend,
dinner was a one dish meal of 
Baked Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes.
Sweet Potato Cornbread Muffins
made in heart shaped tins were served on the side.
Thank you, Monique!
Dinner was delicious, healthy, and "kitchen friendly".
I highly recommend both of these recipes 
which can be found Here and Here.

For dessert I offered each their own regal cookie crown
along side a Table Talk spoon.

The Table Talk spoons sparked a bit of fun 
and lively discussion after dinner to stir up our conversation.

I selected six different questions from the box of 30.
Available here.

 A hostess can select the questions of choice,
or one could simply put the spoons in a container 
and have each guest draw out a spoon to answer.

Either way these conversation starters will
offer a lively conversation.

Would you rather take tea 
with Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks?

What is your most guilty pleasure?

Miss Sadie and I wish you a very
Happy Valentine's Day!

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