Thursday, April 29, 2010

Another Giveaway!

In my blog travels tonight, I came across this sweet giveaway at The Paris House! http://www.theparishouse.com/2010/04/april-cornell-giveaway-that-is-perfect-for-cinco-de-mayo.html/



Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Same dishes, New Tablescape!

I missed last week's Tablescape party mainly due to a creative block, but I bought a new runner at a church thrift sale that gave me some inspiration! As I have said before, I am so madly in love with my new Ironstone that I can not easily put it away! So here is a new Tablescape. I whoops, my sister found some cute little bird candlestick holders, because, you know, I don't have enough! (Yeah, there are 8 candles on this table!) I am looking forward to adding to my collection- my sister, Eagle Eye Tammy just found me some nice accompanying pieces that I will use next week! Can't wait!

Be sure and join the rest of the Tablescapers with our hostess, Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch for some more Tablescape fun! (I was happy to welcome Susan 2 weeks ago, when she visited my little blog!) Happy Tablescaping!!







Love,

Same dishes, new Tablescape!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Oh, yeah- my Menu!

Wow another week is upon us! I don't think I stuck to my last week's menu hardly at all last week~so I may have a few repeats!

Monday
Shrimp
Baked Potato
Sauteed Green Beans

Tuesday
Lentils and Rice

Wednesday
Chicken in the Crock Pot
Leftover Rice
Broccoli

Thursday
Hamburgers
Homemade Fries
Broccoli

Friday
We are at a Party (pot luck)

Saturday
Out of town- on your own!

Sunday
Pork Tenderloin
Mashed? maybe
Green beans

Have a great week! Take joy in feeding your family! ;~) I am linking to Organizing Junkie for Menu Monday!

~Nana~

This week at Nana's blog!

I won a Giveaway!

Well, kinda! Only 2 of us entered! It was over at Mr. Goodwill Hunting I love that name for a blog- so cute! Anyway, he was giving away 11 cobalt blue plates. In order to win, we had to send him a picture of a Tablescape that we wanted to use the cobalt ones with so I entered:


Then Mr. GWH posted them on his blog to have his readers vote. Well, there weren't many voters (I actually didn't win by popular vote :~( but we both had told Mr. GWH that we would share if we won, so he ended up splitting them! Cool, huh? I don't need 11- I only do my Tablescapes for fun and my own enjoyment and I get a kick out of Between Naps on the Porch's Tablescape Thursday. So, I need 4, that is all. I have entered a lot of Giveaways, but this is the first one I have won. Maybe if I get up to 100 followers, I will have a giveaway too! Fun!

Half price thrifting
This really good thrift store by me has a half price sale every Tuesday from 4-7. My sister and I met up there at 4 this week - I hadn't been able to go before due to work schedule(note to self, next time go at 3:15)and the place was packed- people were wheeling around carts that were stacked and overflowing! The line we waited in was crazy long. I bought some candles,a big huge canvas bag for groceries (I was using reusable bags before it was cool- hate the plastic, so I buy them when I can find them cheap)and honestly right now I can't remember what else I bought! I didn't buy but a few things, but I did good, and I will go back!

Good deals at a church rummage sale
I was passing by a church rummage sale and the sign said 9-1, guess what? It was 5 minutes to 1! I stopped and of course they were starting to pack up. I was kinda glad as I figured there might be a deal or two to be had. I bought 6 dinner cloth napkins (in blue- hoping to use them with my new cobalt plates), a table runner, a notebook, a bag of candles, a pair of sheers for my living room window and 2 end tables (originally priced at $10 each)- total cost $8! Not a bad dealio! So I went home, and cleaned out the 2 cabinets that I was using for end tables, what a mess, but it looks so much better. You never know what you can find.

Busch Gardens

I am lucky enough to live in the beautiful Sunshine State, having all my kids close by and also some beautiful tourist attractions within a very short drive. Combined all three today- well not so much the Sunshine part- but we all went to Busch Gardens- it was a little overcast, but with the nice breeze it was the perfect weather! We had a great time! We got home about 20 minutes before the torrential downpour that we have been having for several hours now. The fun will continue- for Mothers Day (the day after actually) we are all going to Disney World (they have these great Florida Resident deals right now!) It will be great!


Here is hubby and I at Busch Gardens today! (No we didn't realize we were both wearing red! Funny!)




Sunday, April 18, 2010

My Menu for this week and what I actually made last week!

Totally forgot to post my Menu for last week, not that anyone cares, but it does help me. I notice if I actually post it on my blog- "I have a plan"!

This week:
Monday- Chicken Picatta, rice and peas
Tuesday- Cobb Salad
Wednesday-red beans and rice
Thursday-Chicken in the crockpot
Friday-Tilapia/Shrimp baked potatoes
Saturday- Tacos and Margaritas
Sunday- Busch Gardens so I prob won't cook

Last week I made hamburgers, tacos, baked spaghetti, greek salad pitas, pork tenderloin in the crock pot (just put that baby, frozen, yes, frozen in the crock add some water, spice it up (garlic, s+p, rosemary a little oil and some soy sauce- cook it on high for a few hours then switch to low, then about an hour before you eat, add a couple of TBLS of flour and water to the bottom and stir real good for a great gravy), shrimp, chicken in the crockpot (and made some nice chicken broth in there the next couple of days- just add water to the "chicken juice" and wings and some bones in the bottom and let it simmer for a day or two- then strain- I freeze mine in the large mouth mason jars)
I share this on Menu with I Am An Organizing Junkie's Menu Monday- she has hundreds of entries- I need to make it a point to pick one new thing to try every week!

Have a Blessed Week cooking for your family! (I know it is hard work sometimes, but it is so worth it!)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I did it! Another Tablescape Thursday!

Time for another Tablescape Thursday! A real fun day of the week. I will have to say, I didn't think I was up to doing one this week as I still liked last week's and this being my 26th or so Tablescape- I am running out of different stuff. But, I think I came up with a good one- my new fav! The centerpiece is a leftover from last week- I just bunched up a pinkish tablerunner around it and put it in a floating candle dish. (Really wanted to go out and get some pink roses, but I resisted temptation!)


My sister (Tammy) just gave me a whole box of my new love, Ironstone ( I call it swirly, but most of what she got was Snowwhite Regency- love that name, don't you?) I happened to have one bowl like the 3 others she gave me! I am up to 19 dinner plates! and I think 14 cups and saucers! Not bad for a new collector! This is a pretty good picture of my goldware! (These pictures were all taken in the morning with no flash)




I love the Ironstone so much that in all reality, I could use it every week and just change it's surroundings! Today I found 4 little side plates (swirly with Christmas holly on them!) I like the pineapple napkin rings too- (Pineapples represented hospitality back in the day!)

I just bunched up the lace runner for a little depth and I think I had a little candle drip on it to hide!


Check out other Tablescapes with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. She is our gracious host every week. Have a blessed week!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Another Giveaway!

Debbie at DebbieDoos is having a giveaway to celebrate 300 new followers! Check it out!


Thursday, April 8, 2010

Another Giveaway!

Katie at Kitchen Stewardship is hosting a great stainless steel container giveaway. Be sure and visit her awesome site! Her blog is very informative and I personally like it even better because she is Catholic! Good Luck and have fun!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Check out this Giveaway!

Nancy at Nancy's Daily Dish is hosting a giveaway! Check it out!


Luau Anyone? Tablescape Thursday!

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Just Call Me Nana! For the past- um I think 25 weeks or so, I have been participating in the fun blog party, Tablescape Thursdays, hosted by Susan from Between Naps on the Porch it is a lot of fun and I was so happy to find other dish lovers and bargain hunters- particularly those who find such great stuff at thrift stores! (There is one blog owner whose blog name is Mr. Goodwill Hunting isn't that adorable?) I have also worked pretty hard on my blog here recently and I am really pleased with it! It is nice to have visitors, but if I am the only one looking at my blog, I am still happy about it! (Especially since I learned how to do the nice big pics! I am just so techno!)

This morning I realized I had to take down the Easter table and I just didn't know what the heck to do. It is spring, but no holiday, um, what do I have? What is something I haven't used/done? So, I found some placemats and napkins that I got for a couple of bucks somewhere (originally Pottery Barn, I think)so I used those and brought out my trusty new fav Ironstone dishes (oh, and my sister (Tammy) scored me some more today! I swear, she should have started collecting it!)

I used the 2 placemats as a runner and dragged the cute little teapot from 2 weeks ago, back out- put some flowers in her (I think a pineapple would have been cute too, because the napkins/placemats just remind me of a luau!)



My sister also found this great silverware, which also says "LUAU" to me- she found a huge set of it and split it with me- it has some of the most different pieces to it.

Since I only have 3 red chargers (hey, they were given to me!) I used 2 red, and 2 gold-it works! I also had to use those cute little bread knives too.



Here are the most interesting serving pieces I have ever seen!



It was great to get another usage out of the Christmas candles!


Another Tablescape to make me smile when I walk by it- I know it sounds crazy, but I get a little kick out of all the Tablescapes.  

I hope you enjoyed my Tablescape as much as I do and please say hi!


Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Almost forgot to do my Menu!

I decided to see if I could possibly get away with shopping for one month at a time. Why? You should see my checkbook- 75% of the entries are to Publix. What the heck? It has to be cheaper to go one time- so what I did- I made a list of 20 dinners that I make and I made sure I had everything for it. I had a freezer full already as we bought a 1/4 cow and quite a bit of chicken back before the holidays. So we will see if this scheme works.

This is what we are eating this week:

Monday-hamburgers

Tuesday- chicken wings

Wednesday- navy beans with ham left from Easter in the crockpot

Thursday- I am having Mexican out for Mom's Night Out- boys will probably have a pizza

Friday-shrimp or tilapia

Saturday- we are eating at my daughters and having Spinach pasta (except my husband who isn't a fan)

Sunday- Roast in the crock pot

We eat oatmeal for breakfast during the week and on weekends usually eggs. For lunch we have sandwiches or I eat at work or when I go to my daughters we will get a greek salad or Chick Filet.

Have a great week!