Table Decorations

I'm not much of a flower arranger, or table decorator, or very much of a decor person in general.  So planning for this rehearsal dinner in ten days was a bit of a challenge.  Since it will be a Hawaiian theme, color was the main concern.  Well, about two weeks ago, I found sixteen bouquets like this one, at a yard sale, for fifty cents apiece!  Not bad!  That was eight bucks for all of them - and they had tags inside that said the original owner purchased each for $15--which comes to $240 for all of them together.  And they looked like new.

The problem was - they were too high to put in the middle of the tables, for people to see over the top easily.  And I wanted more color than just orange and yellow.

So I invested in about $25 worth of more silk flowers at Hobby Lobby.  (Half price.  But I would not have spent what they were asking at full price.)  I got blue, purple, teal, and pink.  And yesterday and today, I've been pulling out flowers, replacing them, and pushing the ones in there down further to make the bouquets shorter.  It's really gone more easily than I expected.

And these are the final centerpieces.  I will add leis from Party City, and some kind of grass mat underneath.  At least that is the plan.  Hopefully I will remember to take a picture of the final tables before they get used.  Not bad -- sixteen centerpieces for $33.

Now THIS.....

...is an amazing low country boil!!

Shrimp, smoked sausage, fingerling potatoes, red potatoes, Peruvian potatoes. onions, corn on the cob, lemon, and a lot of Old Bay Seasoning.  Delicious!!

Very thankful for the lovely party that Mike's sisters, hosted by Sue, gave for Andrew and Teah tonight.

Friday's Fave Five, 5/13/16

Link to Friday's Fave Five

1. Last night we had supper with dear friends.  Always nice to see them and talk over things with them!!

2. Their daughter is making cupcakes for Andrew's wedding.  Yesterday she brought us a sneak preview.  Delicious and beautiful!

3. For Mother's Day, my children went together and bought me a new hand mixer (much needed and appreciated) and a bouquet of flowers.  Mary Lee brought the mixer to Sunday lunch.  Andrew was out of town on Sunday, so he brought the flowers Friday night instead.  He said all the Mother's Day cards were "sappy," so he got this one for the bouquet instead:

Kind of says it all!!  :-)

4. All my senior classwork is done, graded, averaged, and turned in.  It makes for a nice week to have the extra break from when their class hour met.  They are a bright and enthusiastic class and will be missed.

5. And finally, a funny:  One student in the senior class (the kind who is going to graduate "magna cum lucky") :-) told another teacher "Well, I think I might miss Mrs. Bailes."  The other teacher told us that at lunch, and since the boy really, really didn't like English class, we all got a chuckle out of it.  Yesterday she came into my room and said "I didn't tell you the whole story.  What he really said was - 'That Mrs. Bailes.  I'm gonna miss that ol' lady.'"  Kinda puts a different spin on it!!  Yep - Me, the ol' lady!!

Monday Misc. - 5/9/16

--I just came in from the gym.  I was doing my usual routine on the recumbent elliptical, when I felt something soft, not part of me (insert smile emoji here), inside my T-shirt.  Weird feeling.  While walking to the ladies' exercise room, I reached up inside - and it was a sock.  A blue sock.  One that has been missing since last fall, which was the last time this shirt was worn and laundered.  I'm just glad it didn't fall out while I was walking or when someone would have seen it.

--Today was a Monday that represented everything that people talk about Mondays about.  Frustrating day.  I do hope Tuesday will be better.

--Here is a picture from a year ago, when we had 15 sightings of rose-breasted grosbeaks at our feeders.  (We saw one more last fall - an immature.  It was brownish and streaked, but definitely one of these, because there was a faint triangle of pink right where it belongs.)  This year, we have seen--none.  Nor have I heard of any, other than a couple of sightings mentioned on a bird list I follow.  Last year many of my friends had sightings at their feeders.  It would be interesting to know why last year was such a boon, and this year was such a bust.