Easter Prep 2016

Preparing for the holidays, any holiday, is one of my favorite things to do.  I love the holidays so much because they mean that I will be surrounded by the people I love the most and everyone is happy to be together.  We always gather for a huge meal, usually full of much loved traditional dishes,  Easter is no different.

We gather with a few family and friends to celebrate Easter Sunday.  I thought it would be fun to take you all along with me while I do some of my Easter prep.  

There are usually three steps to prepping for a holiday meal. the table, the food, and the buffet.  For the tablescape this year, I chose to go with a pink and white theme.  Pink always reminds me of spring and and white is my favorite color of table linens and place settings.

I like to start with the centerpiece to help bring color to the table.  I usually like to use some kind of live arrangement.  I found this pretty pot of flowers at Walmart for under $10 and I thought the ability to plant it in the yard after Easter was an added bonus.

Keeping with the pink theme I wrapped the pot in some pink tissue and sparkly ribbon.  This always dresses the centerpiece for the celebration!

The adorable napkins I purchased at the dollar spot at my favorite Target.  They are really Tea Towels but I thought they were so cute and my family could use a little extra napkin space!

 

One of the recipes we make every year to go along with our Easter ham is something we call Grammy's Pineapple Bake.  This is a recipe I got from my friends grandmother, it has been in their family for decades. The recipe only has a few ingredients and it is so easy to throw together.

Grammy's Pineapple Bake

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

a pinch of salt

3 slightly beaten eggs

1 20oz can of (Dole) crushed pineapple

5 slices of white sandwich bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9x11 casserole dish with non stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together with a hand mixer, the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the pinch of salt and the beaten eggs.  Add the crushed pineapple and mix with a spoon until blended.  Tear the 5 slices of bread into tiny pieces and add to the mix.  Stir until well blended.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Stir mix and add to prepared casserole dish.  Bake in 350 oven for 40-45 minutes, until top is just beginning to turn brown.

This recipe is great with your Easter ham!

For the holidays, we eat buffet style.  We sit down in the dinning room and the food is laid out in the kitchen.  I always place my platters and dishes out early so I can be sure I will have what I need.  I put out the serving pieces and the warming trays too.  It helps me feel like I'm prepared!

Looking for more information on my Easter Prep?  Check out this video!

                                

Thank you so much for spending some time with me today and I hope you take a minute to subscribe.  Leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite part of spring is.

I will be linking with these wonderful blogs this week:  Tatertots and Jello, Life on Lake Shore Drive, Share It One More Time, DIY Sunday Showcase, A Round Tuit, Inspiration Monday, Mix It Up Monday, Merry Monday, Keep It Simple Crafts, Dishing It & Digging It, Bewitchin Projects, Creative Gallery, A Stroll Through Life, The Scoop, Coastal Charm, Tweak It Tuesday, Your Gonna Love It, Lou Lou Girls, The Gathering Spot, Our Home AWay From Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Snap Creativity, Project Inspired, Wonderful Wednesday, Wednesday Showcase, Swing Into Spring, dream-to-reality, Whimsy Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Create It Thursday, A Creative Princess, Share Your Cup, Think Tank Thursday, Thriving on Thursday, Creative Ways, Full Plate Thursday

Love the life you have and I will see you soon!

 a

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IKEA Office Tour

I thought it would be fun to take you all on a little video tour of our new home office/craft room.  I had so many emails and comments about the IKEA furniture we selected that I thought a proper tour was in order.  I have included names and  links to the furniture info on IKEA's website.  

Leave me a comment below and let me know what home projects you are all working on right now and don't for get to subscribe!

I will be linking with these amazing blogs and Link Parties this week:

Freedom Fridays, Show Off Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Home Matters, Blog Recap Pintastic Party, What To Do Weekends, Feathered Nest Friday, Pinworthy Projects Party, Becoming Martha,
Jembellish, That DIY Party, Merry Monday Link Party, Inspiration Monday, Keep It Simple, The Scoop, Show and Share, Tweak It Tuesday, You're Gonna Love It, The Gathering Spot, Tuesdays At Home, Project Inspired Link Party, DIY By Design, DIY Dreamer, Whimsy Wednesday, WOW Me Wednesday, A Creative Princess, Home and Garden Thursday, Share Your Cup, Create It Thursday

LOVE YOUR LIFE,

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February Favorites

It's time for my February Favorites!  These are the items that I have used and loved in the month of February.  There are some beauty items, kitchen items and, of course, you must have a candle thrown in there too if your doing a favorites post. So let's jump right in shall we!

I just love the Dandelion Necklace from Bauble Bar!  I had purchased it a few months ago, wore it a few times and then stuck it in my drawer.  I pulled it out a few weeks ago and remembered why I loved it so much!  Although the Dandelion necklace is very sparkly it is subtle, it's the perfect necklace to wear to work but you could also dress it up easily.  The chain is a brushed gold finish that I think gives the necklace a vintage look, which I always love.

I have tried so many skin care items at various price points over my adult life with varying results.  Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid is one of the few skin care products that I have used and had almost immediate results with.  In about a week my skin was smoother and my pores were reduced. Paula's Choice is a liquid so I used it with a cotton round in the morning and evening with my regular skin care routine.  My skin can be sensitive but I had no issue with this product.  I have already repurchased this item and it has become a permanent part of my everyday skin care routine!

Now, I love me some hair products!  The Short Sexy Hair Texturizing Spray  has been so helpful keeping my unruly hair in place.  After I heat style my hair, I have been spray this texturizing spray through out my hair, I let it set and my hair is much more manageable.  My hair stays in place with out any heavy residue that weighs the hair down.  Love it, this too has been a permanent addition to my hair routine!

Now an item for all my planner friends.  Frixion Gel Pens by Pilot  are pens that are erasable using the hard rubber tip on the top of the pen.  I have used erasable pens in the past with out much success.  They have always smeared, faded and made a mess all over my hands as I used them.  The Frixion Gel Pens are nothing like the pens of the past.  The colors are vibrant and can be erased completely with out damaging your paper or leaving a residue behind.  Frixion Gel Pens by Pilot are the perfect choice to color coordinator your calendars and planners.

For entertainment this month, like many of you I'm sure, my favorite choice has been Downton Abbey Season 6 DVD.  My daughter and I have loved this series and are so sad that the 6th season is the final season.  We have loved the fashions, the homes, the scenery and without a doubt the phenomenal Maggie Smith.  We always re watch a few seasons to be sure we remember all the glorious details.  Although we are not finished watching the 6th season, so far it is just wonderful!

Now, it wouldn't be a favorites list with out a candle and the Dashing Through the Snow candle from Bath & Body Works is a new favorite.  I am more of a savory Fall and Winter fragrance girl then a sweet Spring and Summer fragrance girl so I usually purchase enough candles in the Fall and Winter to last me all year long. This candle has the balsam notes that I love from the Fresh Balsam candle along with winter musk and a "jingle" of citrus.  I wish I had purchase a few more Dashing Through the Snow candles, hopefully they will be back next year!

I loved the Wire Milk Crate basket, that I found at Target, so much that I bought 3 of them!  I have been using all 3 of them in my office, two on the bookcase and one on my desk.  This basket can be used anywhere, its a gray wire basket with cooper colored handles.  

Now, off to the kitchen for the remainder of my February Favorites.  My first Kitchen favorite is a cute little baking gadget.  The OXO Cupcake Corer is a little gadget you use to core a cupcake preparing it for a filling.  I am a big baker and cupcakes are a family favorite.  To fill a cupcake, in the past, I have gone at the poor thing with a knife,gouging out the center.  This little gadget makes this whole process easier and neater.

I have been a dedicated user of Mrs Meyers counter spray for years.  Although I really like Mrs Meyers, sometimes the fragrances can be a bit overwhelming for me and sometimes it leaves my counter top dull looking.  So I had been shopping for something new when I came across J.R. Watkins All Purpose Cleaner.  J.R. Watkins has a line of products, hand soap, lotions, and other cleaning products.  This all purpose cleaner had a fresh grapefruit scent and left my counters shiny.  I still like Mrs Meyers, her cranberry scent that comes out around the holidays is still one of my favorites, but it's fun to try something new.  

The last thing on my February Favorites list are Halo's Mandarin Oranges.  My whole family goes through bags of these this time of year.  They are so sweet and are so easy to peel.  Even my preschool students love them, they fit into their tiny hands just perfectly.  These oranges are the perfect snack to take with you or pack in your lunch. Love them!

I share more about my February Favorites here:

                                   

Thanks so much for visiting me today, I hope you will take a minute to leave me a comment and let me know what some of your February Favorites are.  Don't forget to subscribe!

I am linking with these lovely blogs this week:  Thinking Outside the Pot, Snickerdoodle Sunday, Sundays At Home, Life with Linda, Amaze Me Mondays, Inspire Me Mondays, Two Bees in a Pod, Keeping It Simple, A Stroll Thru Life, The Scoop, Coastal Charm, Tweak It Tuesday, Your Gonna to Love It,The Gathering Spot, Our Home Away From Home, Snap Creativity, Silly Pearl,Wow Me Wednesday, Ducks in a Row, Imparting Grace, Sincerely Paula, Lambert Lately, Artsy Fartsy Mama, This Is How We Roll, Summer Scraps, Thinking Out Loud Thursday, Thoughts of Home, Freedom Fridays, Stacey Embracing Change, Thursday Favorite Things, The Vintage Nest, Show Off Friday, BFF, An Allie Event, Flaunt It Friday, Foodie Friday and Everything Else

LOVE YOUR LIFE

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