Wordless Wednesday!!!

 

I am joining Dixie at French Lique, Texas today for Wordless Wednesday…the subject is

red, white and blue. Be sure and drop by to see the other Wordless posts!!! Thank you

Dixie for your gracious hospitality week after week!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Summer Salad Saturday!!!

Greek Salad

Ingredients

3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size chunks

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chunked

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chunked

1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chunked

1 cup Kalamata black olives

Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 1/2 cup

2 (1/4 pound) slices imported Greek feta

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in palm of your hand

Coarse salt and black pepper

Pita breads

Directions

Combine vegetables, olives, and parsley in a large bowl. Rest sliced feta on the top of

salad. Combine oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small plastic container with a lid. Shake

vigorously to combine oil and vinegar and pour over salad and cheese. Season with salt

and pepper and let the salad marinate until ready to serve. Serve salad with pita bread

blistered and warmed on a hot griddle or grill pan.

 

Thank you KD for hosting Summer Salad Saturday!!! This has been a fun four weeks of

yummy recipes!!! Please stop by Southern Whimsy and take a peek at all the other salads

featured this week!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Tablescape Thursday!!!

      

This is my first ever Tablescape Thursday!!! I have been ooohing and aaahing over all of

the gorgeous tablescapes every Thursday since I started blogging and I finally decided to

join in the fun!!! The choice of dishes for my first tablescape was a no brainer…it had to be

MacKenzie-Childs!!! All of you that no me know that I am crazy about MC. I have it

everywhere in my house and I love setting the table with all the colorful dishes!!!

 

All of the black and white and the floral dishes are MacKenzie-Childs…as well as the

placemats and little bud vases…it all comes from Suzanne Roberts in Snider Plaza, Dallas

Texas. The clear glasses are from Horchow and the green glasses are from Neiman

Marcus. The flatware is from Ballard Designs. I have had the napkins forever and I am not

sure where they are from…they may have even been a gift. The flowers I picked up from

our local Central Market…they always have a wonderful selection.

 

I had the best time creating and photographing this tablescape…as you can tell from the

amount of pictures I took!!! I could not decide which photos to use…so I used them all!!!

 

Thank you to our gracious hostess…Susan at Between Naps on the Porch!!! Pop over to her

gorgeous site to see all the beautiful tablescapes!!!

 

Lots of Love

Cathy!!!

Mosaic Monday!!!

 

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday!!! This is always one of my favorite meme’s!!! I love

making these little guys…so much fun!!! I think this might be one of my favorites…I love

the softness of the color. Don’t forget to pop over to Mary’s at Little Red House to take a

peek at the other mosaic’s created this week!!!

Have a wonderful Monday!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Sunday Blessings!!!

"Honor your father and mother.” This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends

with a promise. And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, "you will

live a long life, full of blessing.” And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your

children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline

and instruction approved by the Lord.

Ephesians 6:2 – 4

Fathers are the biggest source of strength for a child. The innocent eyes of a child perceive

father as the all-powerful, most knowledge, truly affectionate and the most important

person in the family. For daughters, fathers are the first men they adore and fall in love

with. While for sons their fathers are the strongest person they know and someone they

aspire to emulate. Even for the grownups fathers are someone whom they look up to for

the most experienced and honest advice that is always in the best of our interest. For this

great figure in our life that we know as father - it becomes our utmost duty to pay our

humblest tribute on the occasion of Father's Day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a happy Father’s Day!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Summer Salad Saturday!!!

Fresh Crab in Vinaigrette Salad

8 oz (225 g) mixed prepared crab meat (this is using 2 half-shells)

4 small cornichons (Continental gherkins), finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped (or, if they're small, leave them whole)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

finely grated zest 1 lime

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine

1 tablespoon light olive oil

a few drops Tabasco sauce

salt and freshly milled black pepper

To garnish:

a few crisp salad leaves or some watercress

It couldn't be simpler: all you do is combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then divide the

mixture into two. Take each quantity, pile it on a plate and use your hands to form it into

a round, flattened shape about ½ inch (1 cm) high. Garnish with some crisp salad leaves

or watercress all round.

Be sure to pop over to Southern Whimsy and check out all the other yummy salads

featured today!!! Thank you KD for hosting SSS!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Praying for Connor!!!

“I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.”

Psalm 118:17

I received an e-mail this afternoon about sweet Connor. He is still fighting the good

fight. He has been Mexico receiving treatments. They are home now and waiting for

these treatments to work. Our church and school have decided to pray corporately

every morning at 7:00 a.m. I would love for anyone who is interested to join us.

His mother has requested that we include the above mentioned Bible verse in our

prayers.

Thank you in advance for your prayers.

God bless you all!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Mosaic Monday!!!

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday!!! This is one of my favorite meme’s. I always have so

much fun making mosaics!!! If you haven’t tried it… you should!!! Thank you to Mary at

Little Red House for hosting this event!!! Be sure and stop by her lovely blog and check out

the other participants!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Sunday Blessings!!!

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.

There is no such thing.

C. S. Lewis

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Wordless Wednesday!!!

Flag Day!!!

Thank you to the lovely Dixie at French Lique, Texas for hosting Wordless

Wednesday!!! Be sure and stop by and check out the other participants of this event!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Mosaic Monday and a Little Met Monday!!!

This is a repost of one of my first mosaic’s. These are photos of La Jolla, California!!!

It is my favorite place to be on the planet!!! We lived there for 20 years and miss it every

day!!! I love Texas but as you can see from the photos it is hard to leave such a beautiful

spot. Thanks to Mary at a Little Red House for hosting Mosaic Monday!!! Be sure and stop

by  and visit the other girls participating in this event!!!

I thought I would also share in Metamorphosis Monday!!! This is a very little

metamorphosis. We have lived in our house 10 years and as you all know we get tired of

things. This is my entry hall fixture… nothing really wrong with it… I just wanted

something new!!!

BEFORE

 

AFTER

AFTER

I love the new fixture!!! I love the openness, gold leafed wood accents and the little

crystals. Notice the darling chain cover. It is red and gold check silk. I love

it!!! This is my first Met Monday. Thanks for letting me share my tiny project!!!

Thanks to Susan at BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH for hosting Met Monday!!! Be sure

and visit her lovely blog and check out the other participants in this event!!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Sunday Blessings!!!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My

heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 28:7

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Summer Salad Saturday!!!

 

Orzo Salad

• Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups

Thank you to KD for hosting Summer Salad Saturday!!! We have

made this salad several times and it is YUMMY!!! Don’t be intimidated by the amount of

ingredients. It is really very easy. Give it a try!!! I am sure you will love it!!!

Be sure and stop by Southern Whimsy to see the other salad recipes!!! I hope everyone has

a wonderful weekend!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy

Outdoor Wednesday!!!

This little bunny was sitting outside my front door. My son was coming down the stairs the

other morning and spied this little guy ( or girl ) sitting there. He took the picture with his

phone…he knew his mom would like this pic. We live in the middle of a big city and I am

always so excited by any kind of wild life in the yard!!! Sad, but true!!!

 

This is a freshly planted pot on my patio. I am in love with these caladiums!!! They are

such a pretty shade of green and a bright pink!!! LOVE THEM!!!

A new umbrella and bird house. The bird house is from Canton…a large flea market type

thingy in Texas. They have great stuff!!!

Another pot on the patio. It looks the same as the other…but I promise if you look closely

it’s a different pot.

I haven’t participated in Outdoor Wednesday in a while. It was fun sharing just a few little

goodies from my yard!!! Thank you to Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for hosting

Outdoor Wednesday!!! Be sure and stop by her site and check out the other participants

in this event!!!

Lots of Love!!!

Cathy