Fall Sunday Supper and a "smackdown"

Smackdown you ask???  This might not be funny to you but it literally had me in tears....

Last night I heard my husband making some noises and I looked over.  It appeared  like he was doing a dance or something.  He was stomping and then flicking something off his pants.  Then he started laughing and I got interested in this turn of events.

He said there was a roach or what he thought was a roach and he was trying to kill it.  Then in some strange way it "flicked" up to the side of his pant leg and he was trying to get it off, [the dancing part].  It wouldn't budge and as he got closer this is when the giggling started.  

You know how when people start laughing and they won't tell you what happened???  I am standing there going "what.....WHAT?"  Finally he spilled the beans  and it turns out he was trying to kill a pillow feather.

Here is that dang feather that wouldn't die and stuck to the side of his pant leg.  People, I laughed for a solid 10 minutes.  I am still laughing as I write this.  Looks almost like a bee to me :)

On to Sunday Supper.  Jan's beautiful backyard.  Actually this post will be more about the backyard than the supper because once I started eating, I forgot to take pictures of the food.

Is this not beautiful?

An no...my backyard does NOT look like this.

She just had the fire pit put in. And when is it supposed to cool down?????

Beautiful pots.

Cute!

More pretty!

Sound....

The best part is coming...according to me!

The party lights!!!  On a dimmer no less....She just had these installed.  Cause I said she must!!!  Jan said they look like Cinco De Mayo.  I said "No they would be colored and flashing then".  I wanted it to look like the backyard on the TV show Parenthood!   See that torch in the RH corner?  Well there was another one at the bottom of the stairs and I flicked my hair and realized I almost caught it on fire!  Not to self...don't get drunk tonight. 

This is where we used to have Sunday Supper.....

But I gotta tell you.....this was fabulous.  AND...just in case you were wondering...no mosquitos either.  You don't have a backyard that pretty and not have it sprayed once a month.

It was awesome.

On to Wednesday....Let's "get er done" people!!!

Don't forget about the giveaway!!!  Go here

Also I am guest posting at Casey's blog Loft and Cottage today.  I am putting a bathroom together for one of my clients!  There is so much more goodness there....so go take a look.

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My weekend and a reminder....

We had the best Sunday Supper ever...and I wanted to share with you what a fun thing we did.  I think I have mentioned before that we like to party on Sunday night instead of Saturday night.  We make it very casual and since it is a school night nobody stays too late :)  I guess that means we are old but I can hardly stay away past 10:00 pm these days.

The theme was make your own pizza.  We got the bags of pre made dough from Trader Joe's.  I think they are a $1.00.  That surprises me that I know the price because I can not even tell you what a gallon on milk cost.  I am the WORST grocery shopper.  Hate it.  I am all over the place in there...one side of the store to the other.  Just picture this....say I am looking for peanut butter....I stand there for 10 minutes...frozen because I have no idea which brand is the best.  I try to remember commercials but usually I just grab what I see someone else take.  It is truly pathetic.  

Here are a few pictures of Pizza night

Since it was a buffet I just made the table pretty.  It had been such a beautiful day in Atlanta and we were feeling all "springy"

Here is a picture of all the toppings for the pizza...

The fresh veggies

Meats and fish.

Everyone had so much fun inventing their pizza.  There were definitely some favorites like the cream freshe [by the way...what is that stuff anyway?] with fresh salmon, capers, onions......to die.

Some people got creative!  

We even did a desert pizza with cinnamon, sugar, melted chocolate chips and drizzled caramel sauce.  Then topped with ice cream.  Gawd.....I ate so much I felt like a big fat tick.

The trick is to roll out the dough...cook it for a few minutes and then put all the goodies on it.  Then put it back in the oven and WATCH it!  Yeah...we did burn one.

You should try this because we all agreed it was a blast!

While I was there a friend/client asked me to come by on Monday to talk about a few things she wanted to do.  We have been working on her place for about 9 months now and we are starting to work on the DR.  She said that she wanted a new lamp for this chest.

I said [not to be mean or anything...] we need more than that babe.  So here is PROOF that most people already have what they need to create a vignette. 

After turning the chest to the other wall...here is what I came up.

She even had the green apples!  And that awesome brass lamp!

Then I found these in the hallway.

So we are going to find one more and make a small gallery on the wall to the right of the chest.

Use what you have.  Seriously... start shopping your own house.  Don't go to Homegoods.  I mean it.

Don't forget about the giveaway...picking a winner tomorrow!

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Sunday Supper

We gathered to celebrate our first Fall Sunday Supper last weekend.  About 4 or 5 years ago a group of us in the neighborhood decided that Sunday night was the perfect time to to entertain and have a wonderful meal.  First of all...it is a "school night" so no one stays late.  We usually start it at 6:30 and most everyone is gone by 9:30.  Perfect for my 10:00 bedtime :).  At first it was just neighbors and we kind of alternated.  Food was casual, and sometimes the host would out source the appetizer or desert from within the clan.  

Then we would occasionally invite a new friend who didn't live in the neighborhood and now as some neighbors can't make it we pretty much invite people who are funny [to entertain us], can REALLY cook [my fav] and who like to bring REALLY good wine [another fav].  Now I am not going to lie and say that they have all ended early and in a civilized manner.  There are a few that stand out in my head..."the chocolate martini" Sunday night.  Whoa......I had a "boo boo' head to beat the band after that one!  Lucky for me that I could walk home.  I still hold a grudge for Joe G. for that.  AND...there were a few "Jan just got back from Napa" let's try some new wines that made Monday morning really suck evenings.

Lately, we have met up with a couple in the hood and he is quite the chef!  They're in!  I have to post about the incredible dish he "whipped" up [2 days].  In my house I have a limit of 15 min and three ingredients.  Salt and pepper count. 

I have a memory as a child of coming home from church to the most wonderful meal of a pot roast with gravy and all the vegetables.  Well this was pot roast on steroids.  People were almost licking the white off the plate.  Desert....homemade pumpkin ice cream on top of apple turnovers.  Yep.  These people don't "play" when it comes to food!  Here is the proof.

First a few shots of the table.  Don't judge.  I had about 15 minute to do it.  That is usually my job and I just work with what is around the house.  

I am a burlap, twine, whatever is in the backyard kind of girl with lots of white.  Easy

This is her DR.  It has lots of awesomeness.  I helped Jan do her house about 10 years ago.  It was on the cover of AH&L.  A very proud moment in my life.  You can see pictures of it on my website, although last year we redecorated it.  I have posted on the guest bath that I renovated for her.

The infamous "something french" pot roast...

The salad [duh]

No explanation needed.  But it did make for a pretty picture.

Now that you have stayed with me, I have a few pictures of the house!

The screened porch.  Yes, it is fantastic.  I dream of having one of these some day.  It better happen soon cause I don't have a lot of "some days" left!

The ceiling.  Tin.  Sounds great when it rains!  That looks like a puny light fixture but it is actually a fan.

Of course it has a fireplace right.....

You can see why we like to have it at jan's house.

Dining room

Yes.  That is a baby grand in the background.

Foyer.  We added the grass cloth last year.

We call this the glamour room.  You will see why in a minute.  I had that headboard made.  Actually, I had the whole bed made. but I don't have shots of it.  It will get some though because it is pretty sweet.

Same room, the light fixture.  My favorite.  And here is why we did the room....

For "Lounge  Singer Barbie"......Isn't she special.  Where are my Barbies?????  They would not look this pretty I can tell you that!  I was hard on my girls.

The other guest room.  We found those wings at Scott's.

This room is all done in creams.  I need more pictures.

Just a little vignette on her mantel.  She has the best stuff to work with.

Dang this was a long post.  Hope you are still with me but it just seemed to go from food to decorating.  Hmmmmm....funny how that happens!

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