Autumn Luncheon

Welcome to our cozy little luncheon! Grab a seat and pour your self a cup of hot coffee to warm...

Meet my happy little Pilgrim couple. They were a very popular salt and pepper shaker set sold at my local grocery store, Publix, as a collectible. They have since retired the collection. I do believe I have three sets!

Fresh roasted pumpkin seeds. I used the seeds from a white pumpkin, they are meatier!

A quick arrangement I made with a rustic looking tool box I bought for $.50 at a crafters yard sale a few months ago. I added fall picks, dried mini corn, faux leaves, raffia and a mini scarecrow!

My favorite dishes that I had actually sold at my yard sale this week. I have way too many dish sets. I did decide to keep a place setting for four just for my own table setting enjoyment! My favorite coffee mugs sent to me as a "just because gift" from my special friend, Audrey!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Who's ready for dessert?

My favorite view of my tablescapes, the sun streaming in!

Placemates from Walmart, I love that they are round. Unique and different.

Linking up with :

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/

Thanks for joining us for lunch, come back and visit soon!

Rachel

I found a few boxes of Thanksgiving decorations

that I had forgotten about. It was like a bonus I found when I cleaned out my holiday storage closet this morning! I know, how can one lose 2 Rubbermaid totes full of decorations? Easy. They were labeled Christmas! I redecorated my decorations and snapped a few new photos ... for now I will show you a little sneak peek of the vignettes I spruced up today.I also noticed that the boys forgot to carve one of the white pumpkins, so why not add it to my vignette???Linking up with Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday at http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/2010/11/centerpiece-wednesdays-fallthanksgiving.html
and Vignette Fridays over at Color Outside the Lines http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/
And a new one... Seasonal Sundays http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/
Thanks for revisiting my foyer!
Rachel

Pre-Garage Sale at my friends house!

My sons best friend's family recently sold their house and are preparing to start fresh. This undaunting task means that her Mother is purging many of her 'treasures' to make the move more simpler. What that means to *this* Mother is NEW TREASURES! I was actually stopping by their house to pick up the Xbox 360 and 20 games I had purchased for $50 and noticed all her "treasures" laid out on the dinning room table for the garage sale. As you will see, I scored MANY incredible bargains!Before I get started I wanted to invite you to all the parties I am participating in this week! Table Top Tuesday's at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/Centerpiece Wednesday at http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/ .Tablescape Thursday's at http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ and Vignette Friday's over at http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/ I purchased this LARGE Autumn floral arrangement for $2 !!! Yup, two bucks!

Remember the candle base I picked up at Goodwill for $2 last week, I added it to the dinning room vignette with a few artificial artichokes and a pillar.

I also put out my black rattan chargers I got at Kohl's a few weeks ago for $2.50 each and then I added my every day olive toned dishes with the embroidered initial napkins my friend made me a few years ago!

I love the clean lines of the sugar and creamer set ... $1 !!!

Great amber colored glass (sorry, my dinning room is so dark!) candle lantern! A buck!

This fabulous, swivel, cherry wood desk clock for ................. yeah, a dollar!

Party Light bowl and wreath with the three-wick candle for A DOLLAR and the matching smaller candle holder and wreath for A DOLLAR!

I snatched up the fall floral bundle for JUST A BUCK! I added it to the cream colored glass vase, that I had for a while, and moss. The smaller mum arrangement in the copper colored urn was only $1, as well!

This wrought iron wall decoration was the most expensive (not including the Xbox 360!) at FIVE DOLLARS! I actually have an arched alcove that this will fit perfectly into. For now, it sits in my foyer where I left it when I unloaded the family truckster!

Thanks for stopping by!
Rachel

French Onion Soup Dinner and Fall Tablescape

Who doesn't love a cheesy crock full of homemade onion soup? I know I can't resist!

I found a fabulous recipe and tweaked it to suit the ingredients I had, yes, I had everything I already needed to make homemade French Onion Soup. I pride myself on having a stocked pantry! The only thing that was missing was the crocks. How can I serve French Onion Soup in a bowl? So I set out to my local thrift store and found this set of 4 for $6. I love that they are not he traditional brown crocks!

I bought the denim napkins for $1 at the same thrift store a few weeks prior and used the sunflower embellishment as my inspiration. I also purchased the faux pears at Goodwill for $2, all of the ones you see, were $2! Talk about an autumnal bargain!

So I made this fun little centerpiece. I used a tin flower box that I had in my art room (that I happened to spray paint white a few weeks ago). I added Spanish moss and a few wheat stalks, flanked by three strategically placed pears. I also added a handful of walnuts, still with their outer shell, that I use in my fall decorations. I placed a few silk sunflowers to the plates, to unite the theme.

Who's ready for dinner? By candlelight, of course!

I had some leftover French bread so I put it out in case anyone felt the urge to gorge on carbs!

So let me begin by giving ya'll the recipe and directions....

Set the oven to 400 degrees and toast 4 French bread slices for about 5 minutes on each side. These are the croutons for the top of the soup.

French Onion Soup :

6 yellow onions, sliced thin

4 tbsp butter

water

1/4 cup Sherry

Saute the onions in the butter for about 15 minutes in a heavy dutch oven or stock pot. Let them caramelize and add about 1/4 c water, let the liquid evaporate out and add 1/2 water. Add the Sherry and boil out the alcohol for about 3 minutes.

4 cups beef stock

2 cups chicken stock

2 Bay Leaves

3 springs of fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine

salt and pepper

Add the stocks to the onions and simmer with bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove thyme bundle and bay leaves. At this point, taste your soup to make sure you added enough salt and pepper.

Pour in crocks.

Add the croutons.

Place a slice (or 2) of freshly sliced Provolone on top of the crocks. Broil for about 3-4 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.

Serve your soup with grilled Roast Beef and Swiss cheese sandwiches, served on marble rye bread.

Linking up with Tabletop Tuesday http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ ; Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/ Centerpiece Wednesday http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/ ; Tablescape Thursday http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ ,Coloring Between the Lines http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/and Foodie Friday http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/.ENJOY!

Rachel

Back to School Lunch for Little Learners!

I have a special kind of love for chalk board paint! I knew I wanted to make my boys a special luncheon to commemorate the beginning of the new school year and knew it was going to involve a chalkboard painted project! In this case, I painted a clay pot and 2 smaller tins, then wrote special messages on them. I may even us this idea for the boys teachers Back to School gift!

The tables all set... find your name tag and have a seat!

Mmmm, healthy treats mixed some sweet treats. Raisins, heart shaped Provolone sandwiches, veggie crisp stix and a yummy creme filled chocolate cupcake with organic fruit punch juice boxes!

I have actually had these cafeteria style trays for years. I bought them on clearance many moons ago from Target. The plastic spoons are from Ikea. Lime green tin tray is Target (also ancient!).

I added a bright yellow composition book and dry erase board to the chalk board pot for that Back to School feel and placed a few apples on the tray!

School supplies, oddly enough, my kids get very excited over their supplies and clothes for back to School. After the luncheon, they enjoyed checking their supply list and filling their new back packs!

Lots of reading, writing and Battle Books in 4th grade for my big boy, Johnny!

Third grade full of reading goals and the FCAT for my cream in the Oreo, Zachary! Pre-K for my baby, Nicholas! This will be a huge adjustment for Mama .... alone for 4 hours a day! I have not been alone in the morning for almost 10 years... I won't know what to do with myself!!! I am a quick learner, I am sure I will figure something out ;)

A parting glance at my fun, motivating table before the boys attack the trays and devour the cupcake, first, of course!

I couldn't resist this cute crayon box from the Target Dollar Section, last week!

Filled with a few packages of $.29 pencils! A houseful of kids can never have too many pencils handy! Of course I painted a Dollar Section Target treasure with more of my chalkboard paint!!!

Nicholas excited to join his brothers in his first Back to School luncheon!

Ah, my big boy makes me proud, going for the healthy snack first!

No surprise here, the cream in my Oreo, is eating the cupcake first!

Thank you for joining me in bidding my boys a wonderful new school year, full of learning, friends, team work, excellence and library books! I hope all of your kiddos have an excellent first day as well!

Linking up with http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ for Tabletop Tuesday, http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/ for Centerpiece Wednesday, http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for Tablescape Thursdays and http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/2010/08/friday-vignette-friday.html for Vignette Designs. Please pop on over to each of their lovely blogs and take a peek at all the other creative blogs offering wonderful kitchen and home decor ideas!

Hugs!
Rachel