Monday Random Things

It has been quite a while since I last posted, so I am in catch-up mode this week.

A few weeks ago our youngest Granddaughter Ava Grace's 7th grade basketball team won the Regional Championship in Dallas.  Yesterday she played in her first tennis tournament.  I haven't heard the results but hope it was a fun time for her.

And in between she is just as adorable as she can be.

I recently read one of those can't-put-it-down books.  If you haven't read it, then let me recommend it to you.

A few weeks ago, I started a new Instagram site called @shreveportdecordeals.  I visit various businesses such as Home Goods, Kirklands, At Home, Tuesday Morning, etc. and post deals that appeal to me.

At Kirklands, this plaid charger caught my eye and it was probably the best deal in the store.  It was regular $6 and I got them for $1.99 each.  I have had so much fun playing with them.  Here are a few recent settings I used.

I used a red placemat under the charger and for contrast used these Corelle plates.  I added the red bowl and plates for salad and dessert.

For this setting I used a platinum charger beneath the plaid charger.  I used white Noritake plates with platinum ring for a bit more formal look.  The clear plate allowed the pretty salad to be the highlight. I used a platinum napkin ring with the same black napkins.

The final one was based on a black placemat and the same white china.  I added my Cranberry plates for dessert and repeated some other Cranberry items as a centerpiece.  You will recognize the same black napkins but I added a beaded ring this time that captures the color of the pretty plates.

So, for $8 I have been able to use what I already had on hand to provide a pretty table for our guests.

Last week I made a road trip to visit a long-time dear, dear friend.

Dottie lives in a little village on one of the prettiest lakes in the state, Lake Darbonne.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch at a table overlooking the water. It was a delightful time of catching up.  I always leave a time like this wondering why we don't spend more time with special friends.

 Do you have a uniform that you use as a basis for your outfits?  I like to use black or brown pants and shells and mix jackets.  This is what I wore to church yesterday.  I found this pretty jacket at a Macy's sale last fall and found so many uses for it.  It is linen so it wrinkles a bit, but fits into our southern year-round weather perfectly.

Now, you are caught up on some of what has been going on in my life.

On another day, I will tell you more about my road trip to the Darbonne area.