New Years Eve Cocktail Party

New Years Eve came early at this house...

November to be exact!

Okay...here's the story

My friend Ann is co-chair

of the magazine for

The Junior League of the Palm Beaches.

 For the holiday issue they wanted

to do a New Years Eve Cocktail Party

using the recipes from their two cookbooks,

Worth Tasting and Palm Beach Entertains.

And so she asked me to put together a cocktail party

and photograph it...right up my alley...I had

so much fun doing this.

Now that the issue has come out
I can share with you the pictures...

White Christmas decorations and clocks

were used as table decor

Asparagus Soup served in mini creamers

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin Medallions

served on Creamy Corn Pudding Cakes

It's always time for dessert and champagne!

and don't forget the eggnog!

or the cherry topped brownies...

New Years Eve Menu



Texas Pepper Pecans

Palm Beach Pear Salad

Cucumber Cups with Cool Cucumber Dip

Creamed Asparagus Soup

Mushroom Puffs

Herbed Crusted Pork Tenderloin served on

Creamy Corn Pudding Cakes

Miniature Cream Cheese Delights

 with Melba Sauce

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

Cold Chocolate Cream

Eggnog

Champagne

I hope everyone has a wonderful

New Years Eve and New Years Day!

If you are interested in

The Junior League Cookbooks they can be found

HERE for the Worth Tasting Cookbook

and

HERE for the Palm Beach Entertains Cookbook

Holiday House Tour

You've all heard me talk about my

girlfriend Sondra.

Well I REALLY wanted you

to see her house decorated for Christmas...

so I begged and pleaded and she let

me take pictures to share with you...

(Just Kidding I really didn't have to beg...she is so sweet)

So here we go....

Here is the front entrance

Front Staircase..

make sure you notice the

ceiling...it's awesome.

The banister is done in garland with lights.

At every swag and the front post is a

small arrangement of poinsettias and gold sprays.

Just perfect...very classic!

Trees flank the mirror on the entry way table...

Burgundy and gold tree at the top of the stairs...

the ornaments on this tree are absolutely stunning!



I love this ornament...it's gorgeous



Now hold on to your socks...

This is the living room tree....

It's incredible!

Yes it's as big as it looks...

and if you can believe this, even more

beautiful in person

Mantle in the living room

Closer look of the garland

This is the mantle in the family room.....
I LLLLOOOOOVVVVEEEEE these guys.
They are HUGE!  And they really give
a presence to this mantle...
just what a mantle this size needs.
And I really love that her son named them...
their names are Silverado and Ford...
don't you just love little boys!

Waterford and Christopher Radko Tree

Beautiful Dragonfly..

This is the tree in the guest suite...
now no one say a word to her
but if this one ever goes missing
there will be no need to check my house
because I didn't do it...nope wasn't me!

If you can't tell this is my favorite tree in
the whole house...

Seriously though...it would be hard to
pick a favorite.  Everyone of the trees
is impeccable!  They are all well thought out
and the ornaments are placed just right.
The colors and themes flow seamlessly
with the style and decor of the home.
Just perfect!

At the very least this starfish is gonna go missing...
 ....just kidding!



Thanks Sondra for sharing all your
beautiful Christmas decorations with us! 

And most importantly thanks for letting me be a part
of Christmas decorating with you and your family!
XOXO
 

Pinterest Obsessed

They say the first step to recovery is

admitting you have a problem...right?

Well....

I think I may need an intervention!

Pinterest is controlling my life....

it's all I do...well except for

cooking the recipes I find on Pinterest

or making the craft I saw on Pinterest..

or.....well you get the idea!

This week alone...my obsession has created

Salt Dough Gift Tags

1/2 cup of salt
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup warm water

Mix ingredients together
Roll out dough
cut into desired shape...make a hole for hanging
stamp with ink
Bake at 250 for 2 hours

While i'm satisfied with the way they turned out

I now want to buy white clay from the craft store

and give that a try also...

Onto the Food...

We made this for dinner....

White Chicken Enchiladas......

one of the best things i've ever made!

Even my picky eater had two plate fulls

Recipe Here

And then yesterday I came across this

recipe while Pining

Reese's Popcorn

So good....my kids are loving me for this!

You have to try it...it's super easy!

And then thanks to Lisa at

Fern Creek Cottage

I saw this today....

and now i'm obsessed with

recreating this someway somehow...

From the chalkboard...to the potted plants to the tablecloth

I want it all!!!!

How many coats of chalkboard paint

can I get on the wall before

sweet husband gets home today????

Are you guys as obsessed with pinterest as I am???

Postcard Sheets...my big splurge

I am embarrassed to even admit

this...but I haven't bought new sheets

for my bed in about 13 years!

Now don't get all freaked out...

I have a very good mother-in-law

who buys us new sheets every Christmas...

beautiful white ones!

But ....

when I saw these sheets at Pottery Barn

I knew I just had to get them...

even though it was a big splurge

for me...I couldn't help it!

 I am totally in LOVE with them...

I was practically stalking the UPS

man waiting for him to get here

with them

I can't say sweet husband loves them as much as I do

...they are a bit girly for him...

but it's only for Christmas...and maybe

January and February...just don't tell him that

I changed out the black and white curtains

and lamps for white and neutral colors.

Now I can't wait to put up the bedroom Christmas tree..



However, I guess I really should iron the curtains...

I was just too impatient last night

to get the room put back together.





I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

And no matter what sheets you are sleeping under

you remember to count your blessings at night!

"Not what we say about our blessings,

but how we use them, is the true

measure of our Thanksgiving"

~W.T Purkiser

Tea and Tastings

There has been lots of things

going on around here...

Today I finally have a

chance to take a break...

  So I thought it would

be a good time to blog!

My girlfriend Ann and I 

recently had the opportunity

to set a table for the

Junior League of the Palm Beaches

annual Tea and Tastings event.

This years theme was

Tea through the ages....

This was our table....we choose the theme
"Le Jardin de Josephine"
We wanted you to feel like you were
actually in her garden having tea.

This is the backside of our centerpiece.....

notice the red rose napkins.....they

were super easy to do.

Ann even ordered Harney and Son's

rose tea....it was what we drank for the tea....

and we gave tea bags as favors in pretty

little boxes with a sweet quote tied to it.

The table top was covered completely in moss.

A little hint if you ever decide to do this...

when numerous people comment about the

odor fragrance and you see someone with a

Lysol can spraying around your table...

make sure you proclaim very loudly for

all to hear...that you made sure to buy

the most fragrant moss you could find

because you really wanted everyone to not

only feel like they were in a garden...

but smell it as well!

Never Ever Admit The Smell Was A Bit Overwhelming...

NEVER!!!!

We even made little books with the history of the

house Josephine shared with Napoleon!

Did I mention this was also a contest?

There were three categories

1.  Best Interpretation of Theme

2.  Most Creative

3.  Best Centerpiece

And did I mention we didn't win any of them....

that's okay...i'm coming back next year to

swept all three...not that i'm competitive...

not at all...it's just for charity and it's fun....

ummmm yeah...that's it!

This table won best interpretation of theme...

"The Gilded Age"

Apparently the china they used was one of

the rarest patterns out there...it was gorgeous.

They even brought their own butler...i'm

guessing he was more like a bodyguard

for the super rare and expensive china!

This was the winner for best centerpiece...

and I guess when you have a full on tree

in the middle of your table...you're gonna win!

Their theme was Maria Antoinette.

I didn't take a picture of the most creative...

but it was cute...it was from the Mod Period

and was very colorful with a lamp in the middle

and vases everywhere....

Here are a few other tablescapes...

I liked this one because I loved the silver branches..

and the napkin rings were bracelets...so cute.

They did a Channel theme.

Very pretty with the mismatched china.



I wish I had taken more pictures...it was

just so crazy and overwhelming in there...

or maybe it was just the moss fumes!

Seriously though....Ann and I had

a lot of fun doing the table....and

I can't wait till next year!