American Country Tablescape

Last week while preparing my kitchen side table for my fourth of July vignette I needed to move a few things, so I put them in the dining room.  One of those things was my beautiful Fitz and Floyd rooster that I got at an estate sale last year.  I set him on the dining table out of the way.   Then after the fourth, I moved some of my dishes into the dining room before putting them up and really liked the way they looked with Mr.Roo.  Then I started adding a few  of the holiday linens and remembered a few other pieces I had as well that I thought would look good.

In a very timely manner, right before the fourth my girlfriend stopped by with two bags full of tomatoes and cucumbers from her garden.  I put some of them in the kitchen then remembered my soup tureen I bought at the estate sale as well.  Long story short, one thing led to another and I created this tablescape.

I am calling it American Country because it is a colorful hodgepodge of casual pieces.

Here is the culprit that started it all!

I  I then added the small yellow roses I picked up last year from Michael's.

I already had these candlesticks and the yellow runner on the table so that is how it evolved.

Not ready to give up my stars and stripes setting yet I layered that linen right on top of the yellow runner and added these adorable ladybug creamer and sugar I recently purchased from Ross.

The Butlers Pantry Salt and Pepper shakers....

...match my salad plates.  I decided to keep the dishes from my fourth of July setting, but added a few additional pieces like the red chargers and green saucers.  

I also changed out my napkins to a yellow and red rose floral.  Love it!

I had already set this wine and carafe on my side table in the dining room.  So, I added the cute paper checked napkins. 

Here are the delicious homegrown tomatoes and cukes from my BFF...

 ...and a few delicious looking candles!  They look good enough to eat don't they?

If you follow me at all you know how much I love color, lot's and lot's of mixed colors.   This table scape sure fits the bill for that and  I love the mix of linens and plates I used for this setting too.

I always enjoy setting a pretty table and it's even more fun when you just happen upon setting a beautiful table and get to share it with many friends at

Tablescape Thursday.

Thanks for visiting today, I really appreciate it!

Have a great day!

Mary

Mysterious Friends

Let me show you a few new friends that have been hanging around my house a lot lately!

Can you see her right outside my window?

This sweet adorable doe has been lingering around my house and my neighbors for weeks.  She must really like us because she is venturing closer and closer all the time.

Here she is again!  It seems every time I look out the window there she is!

And here she is making her way across the street to the neighbors.  She even wags her tail at me now when I go outside and speak to her.   So sweet!  I wonder if she is the young one I almost stepped on near the wood pile quite a while back.  I think so! 

She must be spreading the word about our friendliness because I've seen these young ones around several times too.

Look closely!  Do you see them?  I think they all really like us!  Or maybe, there's something else going on here.

Have you ever seen one of these?  Do you know what they are called?  It just appeared in our yard this year.

It is called a fairy ring!  Isn't that neat?  I think so!

Legend has it that a circle of mushrooms is formed where fairies gather to perform ceremonies.

Warnings are given about venturing deep into the woods alone at night.

Or else you might find yourself right in the middle of a fairy ring.  

Stepping into the middle of a fairy ring can send you straight through a port hole into another world.

 Or if the fairies are feeling kind, I understand you may only be given over to rituals of wild dancing.  LOL!

Fairy rings have apparently been around for ages and the legends come from all over the world with all sorts of interesting stories.  

I even found this book on the internet.  It think it might prove to be a fun and fanciful summer read, suitable for children and adults.  It is illustrated by Susanna Lockheart, and holds a delightful variety of poems by authors such as William Shakespeare and Laura Ingalls Wilder on the subject of fairies.

The reality is that fairy rings typically look like this.  They are caused by a fungus in the soil that causes mushrooms to grow and kill the grass on top.  Typically they are often found in woodlands.   Since our yard used to be woodlands and this area infected is near the back of yard near the woods I am not surprised.

I have been watching our ring for several months now and still no mushrooms, and no fairies!

Perhaps it's been abandoned by the fairies because we are on to them.  Me and the deer!

Thanks for stopping by today for a Take a Look Tuesday.

The previous images above other then my own, above are from the following artists or websites.

1. victorianweb.org

2.  by Angela Barnett

3. redemptiosehnsucht.blogspot.com

4. Fairy Ring Oracle

Illustrator Paul Mason

5. jasmoonbutterfly.blogspot.com

6.. book by Susanna Lockheart

7. genexpest.com

If you google fairy rings you will learn all sorts

 of interesting folklore.   I was thrilled to see so

 many beautiful artistic illustrations as well! 

Truth be told, I always knew our backyard was

 

a magical place!

Have a great day everyone!

Mary 

How heavy is the price of Freedom?

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

For many the price of freedom is heavy or unimaginable.  We here in the U.S. enjoy a freedom that just does not compare to other parts of the world.   So many of us truly do not understand the blessing and reality of our freedoms, though thankfully many still do.  We live in a country that was founded "under God" and yet we are so protective of our freedom that we constantly turn our backs on the one who has set us free.

Before you click away because you sense I am being too judgmental and pointing fingers please hear me out.  I too have turned away at times and am often at odds with the church.  I have always had many struggles with the church at times due to many events from childhood.  As an adult, I know now why I feel like I do at times.  I also know that a lot of what I struggle with is the standards by which many Christians put upon each other.  In other words what I struggle with is not of God, but humans.

It is heartbreaking to me that so many will not even recognize Christ because they only associate him with laws and  regulations.  It is very hard to explain this to some, whom like me have been attacked as not being a Christian or not being Christian enough in their behavior.  I absolutely boil every time I hear someone say, "Well, are they a Christian?"  I get very annoyed, because usually this means there is something that perhaps they are seeing or hearing from another that does not meet the standards by which they have adopted.  In my opinion a true Christian knows you can never know if another is truly a believer any more then you can know of the struggles in their hearts.  I know many Christians who at times do not act very Christ like, though I do not question their faith.  I do not carry that yoke.  That's not to say that there are not times when sometimes you really have to wonder about another.  But for me, it is not something I worry about because it is such a freedom to know that God has his eye on us all.

Since the children [are human], He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy Him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil -- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
(Hebrews 2:14-15)

I often wonder if there are times when his eyes may be filled with tears though.  Tears, because he gave his only son to free us all and yet many still will not believe, and we wonder why? Tears because we often burden each other with heavy standards that we create.  Tears because instead of protecting the freedom and teachings we have received from Christ himself by loving others, we choose to handle it our own way.  We either create to many laws and standards that others simply cannot meet or we seem to think that by eliminating God from the picture all together, somehow there will be peace and freedom among men.  

It is not hard to see that the sins of this world are still so many!  But, we have an adversary! We have a rescuer and a redeemer in Christ.  He is still and always will be our Savior, and He was given for you, because he loves you that much to set you free!

I am posting this early today because I am about to begin a very busy holiday weekend.  I have not posted a "Sharing Jesus Sunday" with you in a while and really wanted to share this one with you.   I have had this heavy on my heart for some time and felt this was a great time to share it with you.

May God Bless You All and

God Bless America!

Mary

I'll Show you My Colors Martha!

OMG!  Sometimes I seriously amaze myself!  I wasn't even going to try and participate in Ms. Debbiedoo's Copycat Magazine Challenge until I saw the Today show this week.  Did anyone else see it?  It was the episode with Martha Stewart when she and Ann made some fabulous firecracker cookies.  Martha said, that magazine was flying off the shelves because ladies everywhere wanted to see the cover, and this was it!

Just look at those gorgeous pinwheel firecracker looking cookies!  After seeing Ann and Martha make them on TV I knew I wanted to make some too.  They looked so easy!   I already wanted to take some cookies with us on the boat to see the fireworks and thought these would be quite a hit!

So I whipped out my favorite Decorator Icing recipe that I have used (very successfully I might add) many times before.

I whipped up a batch...

then seperated some out to make the blue and red icing.

I didn't have any icing bags on hand so I improvised as I have done many times before using ziplocks.

I generously applied my white just like Martha instructed.  I then used my colored icing to make circles around the dot, just like Martha instructed.

And this is what I ended up on the first few cookies!  OMG!  What the.....???? 

But wait ladies, it get's better!

I'm not one to give up easily so I kept on going.  Lordy me!!!

Honestly the sugar I was licking off my fingertips must have been getting to my head because ya'll these things are so dang ridiculous looking I was laughing out loud!

I mean talk about a hot mess!  They look like I was trying to tye dye them or something!  

Or better yet, they look as if the firecrackers exploded on top of them.  OMG!  I just had to laugh about them and do plan to bring them out anyway.  I am just going to wait until it is very dark during the fireworks show and everyone has already had a few beers or something.  LOL! 

Sorry Debbie, I guess I sure failed this challenge.  Maybe you can save this post for one of your bloopers parties!  

Not even close...huh?  Hahaha!

Yep!  Sometimes I sure do amaze myself!

Please be sure and check out some of the more talented bloggers over at 

Debbiedoos Magazine Copycat Challenge.

I hope all of you have a very Happy 4th of July!

I still plan to!  If you can't laugh at yourself , then you are really missing out!

Life's to short to fret the small stuff!

Big smiles Everyone!

Mary