Vintage Fashion

Obviously Vogue has always been more about fantasy than the reality of everyday dress, but oh isn't it fun to look at all this gorgeous vintage fashion?

Choices, choices...

We have decided (rather last minute), to invite LOTS of people over for the 4th of July. The more the merrier, right? I'm trying to decide what food I want to serve. I think we'll provide the main dish and desserts and have our guests bring drinks and side dishes. At first I was thinking that we could grill burgers and hot dogs, but frankly, we've done that so many times this summer I'm a little tired of it. Other people might be feeling the same way.

What do you think about these Macho Nachos? I think they would be fairly easy to produce in mass quantities and wouldn't be too expensive. Does that sound like good party food to you? I also think I'll make the cake pictured above and homemade ice cream. I might do some jalapeno appetizers too if I have time.

I'll probably set everything up buffet style and have tables in the yard under the awnings.

Are you entertaining for Independence Day? What are your favorite party foods?

Let's Talk About Flip Flops

Do you love flip-flops or hate them? It seems there's no middle ground where they are concerned. I recently organized my closet and my shoes and realized that the majority of my shoes are flip-flops of one sort or another. I like how versatile they are, how easy they are to slip on and how they can be dressy or super beachy casual. Some of my best friends absolutely hate them, either because they don't like anything between their toes, or because they think they're tacky.

I have some like these from Old Navy that I paid $2.50 for and I wear to the pool and keep in my car for "emergencies". Emergencies such as when one of the girls didn't put on shoes before leaving the house because she didn't think she would have to get out of the car or my dressy shoes are killing me and I don't want to be crippled. We all have those sorts of emergencies right? )


I also have these Havaiana flip-flops (I have the brown pair) that are great for the pool or the beach, but have a more sturdy and comfortable sole and are fine to walk around in too.


I have a pair similar to this silver pair with a bit of a heel that are dressy and cute for church (although I didn't pay nearly so much for them). I got them on clearance at Steinmart several years ago and I have worn them over and over.


Next on my wish list is a gold pair like these. I think they would be cute with so many different outfits from dresses to capris. Of course I will wait until I can find something on clearance somewhere. Maybe Steinmart again since I have a coupon for 20% off any already marked down item.



And just for fun take the flip-flop test and tell me what you get!

Your Flip Flops Say You're Relaxed

You are super laid back and peaceful. Not much disturbs you. You're content with what you have in life, and you can't stand feeling worked up. A lot of good things tend to come your way in life... You're not too busy or stressed to let an opportunity pass you by. Your ideal warm weather place: Hawaii

The Flip Flop Test

Hope your week is off to a fantastic start!
Much love,

HomemadeTortillas

My family loves homemade flour tortillas. They taste so much better than the kind you buy at the grocery store and they're a quick and frugal addition to almost any meal. Today we had soft tacos.

Here's my secret recipe...

Tasty and delicious every time although not always perfectly round. :)

Lemon Bars

Oh y'all I just never cease to be amazed at the wonders of the internet! Seriously I should never buy a cookbook again because there is just so much deliciousness to be found for free!



Paula Deen's son Bobby has been taking some of her recipes and making them lighter. Why didn't I know about this before today? I'm so excited!



I made Bobby's Lighter Lemon Bars this afternoon. I loooove anything with lemon, especially in the summertime.



You know how sometimes a recipe just really hits the spot? That's exactly what these lemon bars did. They are the perfect mixture of sweet and tart plus they have 198 fewer calories and 10 grams less fat than the originals. What more could you ask for?



Run, don't walk, to your kitchen and make these lemon bars today! You can thank me later. :)

I think I'm going to make the whole list of Bobby's lighter recipes.

Flowers

I know it's truly summer when my crape myrtles are blooming! I have two in the back yard and I love them. Aren't you the lucky ones to see my attempts at photo editing? :)




The honeysuckle is huge this year. We've had some birds try to make a nest in it, but our dog keeps running them off. :)


I think of chrysanthemums as more of a fall flower, but ours always bloom in the summer.


Thanks for coming along on a tour of my flowers!
Much love,

Summer Fun?

Today was one of those rare days when I got nearly everything on my list done! I love it when that happens...too bad it doesn't happen more often. Of course it helps when you can motivate your children to pitch in. "No swimming or TV until your part of the list is complete" works wonders. :)

We even got my SUV cleaned inside and out. There's still a little melted crayon left in a cup holder that I couldn't scrape out, but other than that it looks great! And by the way, how do they manage to put so many fingerprints on all the windows? They're big kids, not toddlers!

Baking Day

I've been baking bread today (made with half whole wheat flour and half white flour) and while I had the oven on I thought I would try a new dessert too.

I found a recipe for oatmeal bars in the July issue of Family Circle that sounded delicious! I altered it slightly (half whole wheat flour like the bread) and they turned out great! They were a little crumbly but still tasted so good. They're similar to granola bars. You could reduce the butter and maybe substitute with applesauce to make it a little more healthy. If you did that I think they would be great breakfast bars.

I think you have to register to see the recipe, but it looks like it's free. I would give it to you myself, but I don't want to get in any trouble. :)

Spur-of-the-moment Party

I love how easy it is to entertain in the summer. Just call some friends and family, cut up a watermelon, throw some meat on the grill, make lemonade and iced tea and you're ready to go. Add fun music, shade, and ice cream and what could be better?

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend! Hug all the dads in your life and tell them how special they are.

Much love,

Mexican Dress

In Texas it's practically the law that you have to eat Mexican food after church on Sundays. So as law abiding citizens, that's exactly what we were doing last Sunday when I noticed a woman (probably in her mid to late 30s) in a darling Mexican dress. She looked so cute! I had a purple one back in the 80s and I loved, loved, loved it! It was the coolest, most comfortable thing to wear in the summertime. It was a great casual dress with sandals and also cute to wear on the way to the pool. I literally wore it to shreds. I'm seriously thinking of ordering one as soon as I have a little money in my fashion budget.

Is this solely a Texas thing or are these sorts of dresses seen in other parts of the country?

Still Beautiful

I don't wear a lot of makeup, but I do like to look fresh, smell nice and have healthy looking skin. I don't leave the house without at least a slick of lip gloss and a swipe of mascara. I'm southern enough to think it blesses my husband and children if they can be proud of their pretty wife and mama (or at least well groomed and sweet-smelling wife and mama). Some of my favorite makeup products were favorites of my mother and grandmother as well. They are oldies AND goodies. :)

Coty Airspun Powder is one of my favorites. I love the way it smells, it's affordable, and the packaging hasn't changed since before World War II.


I also love Ponds Cold Cream, especially in the wintertime (my skin tends toward the oily side in the summer so I don't need any extra moisture). I'm guessing many of us have memories of watching our mothers spread Ponds on their faces every night and then wipe it off with tissues. :)


Max Factor makeup has been around almost 100 years! I tend not to wear foundation in the summer unless it's a powder form, but this is a classic and beautiful foundation for dryer skin or wintertime. It's also good as a concealer under a liquid or powder foundation and is so affordable! If it's good enough for Judy Garland and Claudette Colbert, it's good enough for me.

And of course, we can't forget the classic (since 1914) cleanser and sunburn remedy that I used all through my teenage years and still keep on hand, Noxzema.




What are your favorite beauty products?

Love,

Pineapple Upside -Down Cake

Last night we had sort of a Luau themed supper (how 50s can you get?). I made teriyaki chicken, rice, steamed vegetables, Hawaiian bread and a pineapple upside down cake for the first time ever. Can you believe I had never made such a classic dessert? Everyone loved it and was so easy. Here is the recipe I used.

I wish I had thought to play my beach music CD from a birthday party a few years ago. That would have been fun and added to the luau atmosphere. Maybe next week I'll come up with some other theme to plan supper around. Any ideas?

Blue and White

Blue and white is one of my favorite color schemes in decorating. I've collected blue and white dishes for years, particularly Blue Willow, and the color combination is still fresh and pretty. It's perfect for summer.

Above photos via Country Living

The mauve and country blue that I decorated my very first kitchen in (complete with a duck theme) didn't last, but I think blue and white is classic and timeless. Some things never go out of style.

Here are some examples of blue and white in my own kitchen. I think plates are a great way to decorate a wall.


This is the mosaic that I made behind my kitchen sink

How was your first kitchen decorated? I'm curious to know if anyone else fell victim to the mauve and blue trend in the 80s like I did.

Cherry Pie

Celebrating a summer Friday with a little cherry pie. I'm currently trying to watch my figure so I only ate a small piece with a little scoop of low-fat ice cream. It was delicious and so worth it although I probably still need to take a brisk walk to burn a few of those extra calories!

I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

A Sunny Disposition

I won't name any names, but there are people in my life who have dour, negative attitudes about everything. Even when something good happens they can find something to complain about. I encounter plenty of negativity even here on my blog (I sometimes get ugly comments which I promptly delete). Maybe you know people like this too.

Whether we are negative or positive is up to us. I know I can come across as a "Pollyanna" sometimes, but let me assure you that's it not because I don't know about all the bad things going on in the world or that I keep my head in the sand. I just choose to pray about it instead of reacting negatively to it, especially when it is something beyond my control. It's not easy and takes practice and intention.

When you visit my blog and everything seems perpetually sunny and sweet, it's not because my life is perfect (believe me it's not). It's because I am choosing to embrace the love and joy of the Lord. Today I'm focusing on the simple joys of summer. The laughter of my children, the smell of grass clippings, the taste of ice-cold lemonade, running through the sprinkler and anticipation of juicy tomatoes warm from the garden are filling my heart instead of fear and worry. My hope for this blog is that you will feel encouraged and excited about your home and family when you leave.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:4

Much love,

Summer Table Runner

I love bandannas! Of course I do, I'm from Texas! I love to use them for napkins in the summertime. They are easy to wash and all the different colors make the table look cute. I'm thinking about making some of my bandannas into a simple table runner. I laid these out to see how they looked (obviously I didn't iron them first but I'm not a fan of ironing in hot weather). What's your opinion?