Valentines Dinner at Home

This year Valentines day was quite enjoyable.  To be honest, they all have been pretty nice.   I don't think we've ever done any big celebrating but we have spent some years going out to dinner and/or exchanging gifts.  We opted not to do gifts this year after recently just purchasing a new desktop computer for me and because we are spending lots of money getting a new bottom job for the boat.

Since Valentines day fell on Sunday we leisurely enjoyed all afternoon together and spent the day getting some things done around the house.  I am very excited about that and hope to share a few small finished projects with you all soon.  My valentine is a good man and knows how to treat me right.  I am a happy wife when he tackles that honey do list.  We wrapped up the evening with a delicious steak dinner cooked at home on the grill.  Of course, you know me, I just had to jazz up our meal with a few sweets and a few decorations for our sweet little table for two.   

Everything I used for our setting I already had on hand.  The only things new this year are the plaque I made a few weeks back and the metal X and O, both were purchased and made for other displays. 

 It all started with my decision to use my off white table cloth because I don't have a solid white. I actually liked the softness of the off white and surprisingly enough it complimented all of my other elements quite well.

I also decided I wanted to keep the lazy susan on the table since its such a large table. Additionally, this would give my display in the middle a bit more depth.  I was pretty thrilled to find the off white round crochet table topper in my linen drawers.  I have a pair I used on round tables by the bed waaaay back in the day. Sometimes it's good to hang on to old linens.

After getting the linens in place it was an easy pull together on the center display just pulling a few pieces here and there from a few of the Valentines displays I did around the house this year.

The flower arrangement from the kitchen was light and a perfect off white match to the tablecloth.

I then placed the Love plaque I made this year (see here) on the table, the mercury candles jars, a little faux lighting and topped it all off with the adorable metal X and O I purchased this year from Michaels.

I just adored my place settings. Sorry, I don't mean to gush but they were just soooo cute!!!

Here's the breakdown, I started with my Lenox Butlers Pantry dishs, then added the linen dish towels I purchased a few years back from Stein Mart when I managed the home dept.  I have a set of six of these because they went on clearance after not selling during for Valentines one year.  I think they were perfect for Napkins, don't you?

 The red heart plates are melamine and have a bit of a sparkle to them.  As you can see below, they were just perfect for dessert.

I brought out the bubble acrylic goblets also from Stein Mart and these beautiful blown glass stems given to me from my son for Christmas a few years back.  

Need I say more!  It was an easy day followed by an easy dinner for two with a festive atmosphere too.  Life at home is good!

Thank you so much for popping in today.  If you enjoyed seeing this tablesetting and you'd like to see more there is a party going on over for;

Tablescape Thursday

Go on check it out, it's beautiful!

On a side note;  Did you know Picasa is going away?

I'm not trying to be whiner but let me share how much of a struggle it was to get my post out on time today. It was a big struggle because I just found out last weekend that Picasa is going away.  I know it is not until March that they stop supporting it and I still could have used it but I really felt the need to figure out a new plan immediately.   I have used them for years to do my editing and storage of photos.  I was quite in a panic until I read and have assured that all my photos are backed up on google photos.

I felt relieved that they have an editing program but  I was again disappointed to find out that the editing features were not all I had hoped for.  I don't know if I was doing something wrong but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to watermark my photos on google photos.  I have no text symbols at all, so I had to back track and re-decide what to do. It was all very challenging because I am also on a new computer that uses Windows 10.  I like the system but I was having problems with it trying to figure out the path my photos were taking when I downloaded them.  I could find them on the Windows gallery but not in the computer files and that was a problem when trying to edit them in another program.  Finally, I figured out how to redirect the Windows photos to a folder I could find.  Whew!  

For the moment I have decided to edit my photos using Ribbet.  I like how quick and easy it is and I can save edited photos really fast right back on my computer.  I don't like not being able to easily work on editing batches at a time and uploading batches at a time to blogger.  Since blogger is so supportive of Picasa I've become quite spoiled.  I wonder how this is all going to play out soon and what will be the new replacement.  I know it's all good, but sometimes these changes....

With all that being said, I hope to be back with another post soon (after I recoup some time) my sweet readers to share my latest home project.  I hope you'll join me again.  Hope you all are having a wonderful and productive week as well.  

Hugs and Waves!

Sharing some Love with Lavender

Hi Friends!  Since it's almost Valentines day I thought I'd share a little LOVE with you today and tell you about a few of my favorite Lavender things.   Do you like lavender?  Of course you do and I sure do too!   I love almost anything to do with Lavender.  I absolutely love everything about it!  I love the color, the aroma, the oil, the plant, the blooms, the seeds, and the texture to name just a few.   All of those previously mentioned qualities contribute to the whole calming and relaxing enjoyment I get from lavender.  Just the word alone sets my spirit right.

Somehow at some point in time I also began to associate Valentines with lavender. Maybe because when I was young I remember seeing Valentines cards with lavender on them.  Here's one I found today that is so cute!

source: Stylepinner.com

Besides being in love with the color, I really love, love, love the plant itself.  Growing Lavender here in the SC red clay that I have at my house is challenging to say the least.

 Some how I have managed to get one lone plant to survive and thrive.  This plant and another one I had in some pots on the deck for a few years before I put them in the ground.  This one loved the transfer and has thrived very well doubling in it's size.  The other one not so much.  I have tried two more additional plantings with no luck again.   I'm not giving up yet though, I'll just have to keep amending the soil until I get it right.

 I love the way Lavender looks and feels.  I especially love that you can smell the Lavender on your hands after you touch it and run your fingers though the leaves of the plant.  I have Rosemary that is the same way and smells so good on your hands.

I'm sorry I don't have any blooms to share with you today but its not quite the right season for that yet.  I can tell you if this beauty blooms like it did last year it will be stunning.    I promise to come back and share this plants beautiful purple flowers when it  does bloom.

Now if you really want to fall in love with lavender, and surely you must, because your here reading this and because I really want you too, okay?  OK!  You absolutely must try what I wanted to share most with you today.  Here's my secret for indulging in lavender.

You absolutely positively must try these lavender bath salts.  These are by far the best ever hands down!   I received these as a gift one year from my son and his girlfriend and I have been spoiled ever since.  In fact there is only one store nearby that carries it and I have to drive a little further to get this.  This brand is the only one I buy!  Aura Cacia has the best lavender aroma ever combined in a mineral salt that will sooth your spirit as well as your muscles. I've shared this brand on my blog once before in a previous post about my bathroom retreat here.   I love that it is not a bubble bath and I can turn on my jacuzzi tub without worry about bubbles overflowing everywhere.  It truly is a whirlpool of aromatherapy and a spa like indulgence right at home. 

This year I added a little something to my lavender indulgence.  I must have spent a whole afternoon searching for just the right scent of lavender soap to add to a Christmas present for my groomer.  She of course got the bath salt and some hand lotion but I also wanted her to have some soap.  I did find several wonderful homemade and organic type soaps but they were quite expensive and usually sold by the single bar only.  I kept searching and when I was at TJ Maxx I hit the mother-load of Lavender soaps.   I'm not kidding when I say I literally sat down on the floor and smelled almost every brand there was until I found what smelled like authentic lavender to me. I even had another customer who also sat down and started smelling soaps with me.  Too funny! I knew I found what I was looking for when I came across these in a beautiful box of 6.  The brand is Fiorentino, and is made in Italy. What I liked about these other then the smell was that you get more then one bar and they are just the right size.  Not too big and not too small.   I love that I can use these in the guest bath for company or in my master bath without some great big honking bar of soap that sits there forever and looses it's smell.  It feels very clean and much like a milled soap to me.  I love the cute little embossed fleur-de-lis on it.  It's so enjoyable when I go into our half bath to wash my hands that I feel like I've just given myself a little treat.  Try it, it's that good!

This morning I added more lovely lavender to the half bath with a newly embroidered hand towel.  I found this cute design online at Emblibrary and knew instantly where I would use it.  This is the last of the inexpensive hand towels I picked up to practice on from Walmart.  I think this turned out beautifully!  I do believe I am now ready to search for a few nice quality hand towels to embroider on.  I may have to make another one and do a set for in here though.  Now that I look at the picture, it looks a little lonely on that bar by itself, don't you think?

Well if I haven't convinced you yet of all the virtues of indulging in authentic lavender I've got one more small pleasure you could try.  Maybe you don't think you have a green thumb or are like me in an area where lavender is a real challenge to grow.  No problem, you could go faux!  

Last year I shared a post about this pretty little faux Lavender plant that I purchased at Michaels.  I shared it with you when I was showing what was the very beginning of my foyer makeover in a post titled Frenchy Foyer (click here to see).  These had just the right gathered look of fresh lavender.   I also picked up a few more different faux styles to scatter around the house.  I would love to find some dried Lavender that is not too expensive and made well to stay in tact. I have sometimes seen that the dried Lavender blooms tend to fall off easily if not handled carefully.  If you are good at being careful (which obviously I'm not) you may want to search for a dried version of lavender in a wreath or pretty bouquet.  I promise you won't regret it. There is something so enchanting and so old worldly about looking at lavender you can't help but fall under it's spell.

Thank you so much for popping by today and I hope you all are having a very cozy and relaxing weekend.  I would love to hear about your love for lavender or anything about it you'd like to share.    Wishing you all a very happy Valentines day!

Hugs and Waves!