An Appreciative Memorial Day

To just say "Thank you" does not seem to be enough.

"The greatest glory of a free-born people
is to transmit that freedom to their children."
~William Havard~

Thank you Mary, for hosting Mosaic Monday on your beautiful blog
A Dear Little Red House.


fondly,

Shrimp Scampi & Angel Hair Pasta

Its time for


Hosted by Michael Lee at

Designs By Gollum
as well as




This weekly event is co-hosted by
Lori @ All That Splatters
&
Ann @ Thibault's Table

Its Ann's turn to host the 21st week.

Be sure to check out all the delicious recipes
posted on these wonderful blogs to see what others are cooking & sharing.

I made

SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH PASTA
This is a delicious recipe from the Barefoot Contessa,

It was suggested by Yvonne on her beautiful blog,

StoneGable
She is just chock full of wonderfully inspiring

recipes & eye candy & she posts a weekly menu plan that

will give you tons of new ideas for dinner.

Click HERE to get Ina's recipe.

You can never go wrong with one of hers...I ♥ Ina!

I record all her episodes & never fail to learn

something new while watching her cook.
I used angel hair pasta instead of linguini,

per hubby's request.

The Dreamfields brand is lower in carbohydrates,

which is important for both of us these days.

I also used less salt than the recipe called for.

We're trying to limit our sodium intake, too.

This recipe has lots of fresh LEMON flavor,

from the zest, the juice & slices of lemon

that all go right into the pan.

The flavor is bright, not heavy.

It also calls for 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

which give it a little zip & zing but is not overpowering.

I added a splash of white wine, since I had a bottle open &

a tiny bit of chopped chives as

mine are growing like CRAZY!

Speaking of plants that are thriving,

I thought you might enjoy another peek at

my pretty iris.


This has been the best year ever for them.

I've been cutting armloads to put

into vases for many of my rooms.

Once you get these iris established, they require less attention
than almost any other perennials,
& are virtually free from disease or insects.

The original Siberian Irises came from Central Europe & Asia,
where they grew wild in meadows.

They thrive best in full sun although mine are
in partial shade all day. Go figure~

Thank you to Lori & Ann & Michael for hosting these fun

memes each week &

Thanks to Yvonne, too, for all the wonderful

inspiration you share!!

Have a memorable Memorial Day, everybody!

Hug a Veteran today...I'm going to hug mine at least twice,

morning & night.

Be sure to put your flag out this weekend, too!


fondly,

A tisket, A tasket....

A pretty new blue basket!

Don't you just ♥ ♥ ♥ my Froo-Froo Frenchy
glazed pottery basket that
I found this week at my
favorite local antique shop?

It is HUGE & wait till you see how
beautifully it picks up the colors of
my Oriental rugs.

I'm joining Marty at

A Stroll Thru Life

for her

Tabletop Tuesday

As well as Linda at

Coastal Charm

for
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Be sure to visit all the participants
for some great inspiration!

I am envisioning this filled with frothy white flowers,
like roses & baby's breath
as a centerpiece on the dining room table.

Look how well it picks up the blues in my rug.
I've heard that pale blues are very "in" this year.

Nothing pale OR blue in my garden, however.

The peonies have started to bloom &
my iris are going full steam ahead.
I love these two colors together!

Every one of these plants were FREE from
my wonderful sisters.
Thank you SO much, Weezie & Fritzie!
I love my gardens that you
helped to create.

These colors will have to do until I can
find some beautiful white flowers.

My friend sent me a link to an online video
explaining how you can save some peony buds
in water & keep them refrigerated for up to
6 months, then allow them to bloom when
brought to room temperature.

I've cut lots of the buds & have them stored in
about 2" of water in my garage refrigerator.
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed to see if
they will last until ... what, Thanksgiving maybe???

Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Here is the video clip if you'd like to try it.

Preserving Peonies

Thank you, Madeline for that link & everyone else for
visiting the Gazebo House today.
I sure wish you could smell my flowers!

fondly,

God's reward for living ...

through the winters in Ohio!

Heavenly Lily of the Valley
Transplanted for me by my sisters from
our mothers garden at our childhood home.

Exquisite little bells that bloom for
a few short weeks in May.

This is the view out my sewing room window.


My sister also shared her

Rhododendron
from my parents old home.

I set up the sofa table for dessert again.
If you remember, I had lilacs here last week.
Those are now done for the year.

We had dinner guests join us on Tuesday night.
I've been entertaining a LOT lately!
I hate to put away all my dishes so once they're clean,
I just set the table all over again.
I added silver chargers this time to give the
china a different look.

I cut some of my iris for the centerpiece to start
the evening, then switched to some lily of the valley
in a silver cup for the sake of easy conversation.

See my candle with all the French words?
I benchmarked the idea from Debbie
at Confessions of a Plate Addict.
Thanks Deb...I've done several sets already!

The reason you don't see any candles in the candle holders is
because I put mine in the freezer a few hours before
company arrives. It keeps them from dripping
during the dinner party.
Old Heloise trick that works!

Speaking of dripping...
even though it was HOT this weekend
(unheard of in Ohio in May!)
I got all my pots planted along with
16 tomato, 2 eggplant & 2 pepper plants.


I. AM. DONE!

I made a new cover for my bench cushion out of
damask-looking Sunbrella® fabric.

It was pretty sad before hand.

The peonies have just started to open so be sure to stop
by later this week to see some Nifty Thrifty Treasures
filled with PINK & PURPLE!


Thank you, Mary, for hosting

Mosaic Monday.

Please join Mary & others camera nuts at the




Little Red House

I'll also be joining Our Dear Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday


and

Our Dear Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday





Thanks for visiting & have a wonderful start to your week.

fondly,