Let's get Nautical!

Nautical! I wanna get nautical! Let's get into nautical! I think that's the way Olivia Newton John should have sung that song.  Really yall!

With the Memorial day weekend fast approaching I am thinking of all things nautical.  I am pretty sure I will be working Monday but am hoping for Sunday off.  The Mr. and I enjoyed a wonderful weekend of sailing this past weekend and hope to be able to do more again soon.  While we were out we talked about getting our new grill installed on the boat so we can do more grilling out on the water.  Please feel free to send me all your delicious shiskabob recipes ladies, as I am craving those to kick off the season!

With that in mind I decided to gather up a few of my nautical inspired serve ware pieces to create a display for the screened porch.  This will also keep everything handy in case I want to grab a few serving pieces as I head out the door.

Here's how it all stacked up!

I started over here on the blue table and brought out my plaid runner to work off of.

It sorta has a bit of a nautical flair, right?  Okay,  well, not sure why I brought this out really but there it is.

Next I decided to use the old wine crate that I keep on the porch and have been trying to decide how to decorate.

Then I very carefully (Hehe!) draped one of my patriotic dishcloths inside.

The first thing in was my chip and dip set that I purchased last year from CTS for only $5.99.  Love it!  I cannot wait to bring this down to the club.  It's ceramic so I will have to be very careful.  

Next in was my sailboat dip with spreader dish.  To save all of us a lot of time and reading here you should know all of these items came from the CTS. This was only $3.99.  We do not have one here where I live, so I made a special trip down to one in Augusta last year and went wild when I found all of the great deals on the nautical serve ware.  

This sailboat bowl was sold separately for only $1.99. I bet this could hold a boat load of salsa!

Then I collected up this set of three boats to add in my box too.  They were purchased at $4.99 for the whole set.

Oops! These melamine plates are from Walmart this year.  They were on clearance for $1.00 and I could only find 3.  I need one more!

I am pretty sure the napkin holder was only $2.99 and included the napkins as well.

The votive candle holders were only .64 cents a piece.  What a deal!

And my cups were only $1.69 each.  Now here's the real deal!  Those are all the prices I pulled off of them today as I was unpacking them.  I am pretty sure I got an additional amount off on many of these pieces but cannot remember exactly what.  That's how good of a deal it was and so worth the trip.  If you have a CTS near you or withing driving distance you are so lucky.

I had to move the box to it's final resting place before it got to heavy.  I almost forgot to add in the napkins and napkin rings that I made last year too, or was it the year before?  Oh, IDK!  Anywho, there they are before going in the box.

A little blue bottle of something good and I am all set!  Don't worry this is actually empty but I saved it because I liked the color of the bottle and the taste of the wine and wanted to remember the brand.  I was at World Market a few weeks ago and saw a wine with a Sea Glass label that I wish I had bought.  I think it was a Pinot Grigio, but not sure.  Maybe next trip.

And there you have it!  All set and ready for a very nautical day of dining.  Well, kinda, I still need to find a good deal on some red flatware somewhere.

I've set this up on my bakers rack outside.  If it stays here a bit I may have to redo the whole rest of the vignettes on the bakers rack now too.  But I think I'll wait and see how much I pull from here to go on the boat first.  We shall see!

Speaking of seeing and the boat...

Here's a few glimpses of what we enjoyed out on the water last weekend.  

It was very windy all weekend and we were able to get in a few good sails before getting to tired to fight the wind any longer and calling it a day.

I stretched out in the cockpit for a rest to lay down and look what I saw!

Right over our heads above the top of our boat was a beautiful rainbow.  I couldn't help but think that I guess Jesus wanted to remind us he likes going sailing too!  

Thanks for stopping by today.  I really appreciate the visit.  I am joining a few fun linkys today.

Be sure and visit them too at;

Let's Dish

Outdoor Wednesday

Tablescape Thursday

Seasonal Sunday

And just in case you missed it I am gearing up to host a linky party of my own.  Please be sure and check out my latest post HERE to get the scoop.

Have a wonderful day!

The Wind is Stolen from my Sails

Would you all please pardon me for this brief interruption of blog world blissfulness for a touch of reality here?   I am off of work today and sitting here trying to get motivated to GO and DO and BE yet I just cannot find the motivation.  You see, I have been hit with a big case of feeling like "the wind has been stolen out of my sails."  What to do?

This photo somewhat depicts a nautical vision of what happens when the wind is taken from your sails.

First let me clarify what I'm talking about here.   To have the wind "taken" or "stolen" from your sails happens when someone comes along side of you and literally steals (or blocks) your wind.  I'm not talking about loosing the wind in your sails from a shift in the wind, (or circumstances) or from something you have or have not done.  I am talking about loosing your wind from a direct result of someone else who has crossed your path and quite literally stolen your wind.  They have blocked you from moving ahead.  It slows you down and leaves you sitting still, drifting along until you can once again recapture the wind.

Now, let's look at this photo again more closely.  Do you see the first boat that is surging ahead in the background?  Look at what the crew is doing in this picture.  They appear to be hanging over the edge, don't they?

That's how I am feeling right now, hanging over the edge.  Without going into too much detail here, it's not about one issue in particular.  It's about the culmination of several (people and situations in my case) who have come along side of me and stolen the wind from my sails.  Normally, I am quite fine with drifting and waiting on the wind to return of it's own course.  However, there are times in life like this when the wind has been "taken" out of your sails when one must hang out over the edge.  Leaning out over the edge can rock the boat ever so gently but this is what helps you to surge ahead.  The real trick is learning how to hang out over the edge without falling face first in the water, don't you think?  I sure do!

So here I sit, contemplating my strategy's in life.   Do not worry, I am not as desperate or depressed as this may sound.  I am just thinking out loud on my blog, it's kinda therapeutic you know.  I am sure a day off will do me a world of good today once I get up and going!  I think I'll call my mom today and maybe do a little retail therapy.  Who knows?

  I also continue to pray for guidance in this race we call life because I trust that Jesus will lead the way for me in all situations.  He never promised us an easy life but he did promise to be right there with us, even hanging out over the edge.   

Anyway, this is Wednesday and I have a self imposed Wellness Wednesday theme that I sometimes like to hit upon here at The Decorative Dreamer.  So that's why I am sharing this, to let it go, and to hear from you.  What do you do when someone has knocked the wind out of your sails and you feel like you are hanging over the edge.  I'd really like to know!

Looks like the sun is trying to come out so hey, maybe it's going to be a brighter day soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Preparing For The Big Guy

We have been very busy this week at work preparing for one of our biggest 14 hour sales of the year and preparing for the Big Guy. When the head CEO of the company, Mr. Stein himself decides to drop in for a visit there is always a flurry of activity.  Kinda like Christmas huh?  Which leads me to my next question, are you ready for the big guy?

Wait!  This Big Guy is definitely fun to get ready for and one of my favorites but this isn't whom I am referring too.

Here's the one I'm talking about!  The biggest "Big Guy" of them all.  Lord of Lords!  Emmanuel!

I can't believe in my efforts to keep my decorating simple this year I almost considered not pulling out my manger scene this year.  Can you believe that?  Tell me about it!  

There is a bright star that shines directly into my bedroom window this time of year at night.  Every so often I will awaken from being unable to sleep and see that star.  It is a very comforting light that reminds me of what it is that I believe in.

I purchased this star globe from a Christmas around the World party many years ago.  It is sitting on my Fitz and Floyd candle holder.  I just love how the light reflects stars on the wall.  Pretty cool, huh?

Last year was the first year I decided to add the gauze cloth and small green trees wrapped in burlap.  I realize it's not even close to a manger, but for some reason just feels very right to me.

I really enjoy looking at the expressions of "awe" on my figures.  Can you imagine what deep thoughts of wonder these earliest followers of Christ must have experienced? 

Thank you Jesus!

Thank you Jesus for being the true "Reason for the Season"! 

Thank you Lord for all those people and all those gentle reminders in our lives that there is so much more to prepare for then what we see here on earth. 

Sharing God's blessing of hope for each of you this season!