May Flowers Galore!

 Why do all my lovely Spring flowers have to bloom at once???

This little arrangement is on my dining room table & I just keep refilling the vintage milkglass vase with fresh flowers.

My lily of the valley beds are pumping out oodles of little white bells on tiny, thin stems.  Ever since Jan from the blog, Bessie Mary,  was bitten by a poisonous snake, while gardening,  I've been VERY careful when gathering these flowers.  

I wear heavy rose thorn protection type gloves to reach deep down inside the clusters to gently pulled them up, one at a time.  I just adore their fragrance & my Mother always had a bouquet beside her Mary statue during the month of May.




 Our ornamental pear trees were full of beautiful white blooms last week.
And my lilac tree is in full bloom now!  You can smell it while sitting in the gazebo, as it is right outside the door.




 Judith, (from Lavender Cottage) this shot is for you!  
She loves butterflies & anything lavender.
You might remember she was my Tea Exchange partner last year.  I'm still enjoying some of the delightful items she sent to me.







Because my lilacs grow in the form of a tree & not a bush, I can't cut armloads of them, but rather have to trim the tree very carefully, to maintain its shape.



 Even a few sprigs waft their heavenly scent throughout the house.  I created a little vignette in my favorite corner of the kitchen.  I think my teapot, with its spring bunnies, is a Bordallo Pinheiro knock off.  There aren't any markings on it at all, but it certainly looks like that style of pottery. The pretty teacup & saucer set is by Darice.





The pink peonies & purple Egyptian iris are in full bloom now.
Glorious clusters of heady scented blooms!!
 
I grew up with these flowers & they were dug up & brought to my parents 2nd home when they moved.  My sister now lives there & shared some of the cormes with us when we moved into our new home.  They have flourished!



I also have some white ones that are on the opposite side of the house & they have yet to open.  Different sun exposures, I guess.



 My first tip is to try to clip the opened center blooms & leave the other buds on the stems to blossom later.  The short stems work well to create a floating arrangement in my Mother's almost antique wedding gift.
My parents were married in 1936, so this bowl is 77 years young.  There are candlesticks to match it, too.  It won't be a "true" antique until it is 100 years old.

Another tip for you is to always remember to put something UNDER a vase of flowers if you are setting it on glass.  The moisture can actually leave an etched ring on the glass & if someone scoots the vase, glass on glass can scratch.  Ask me how I know this! 

I hope you've had a blessed month of May, filled with flowers & wonderful scents that remind you of home.

Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House today.
I'm linking to Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish party &
Yvonne at StoneGable for Tutorials, Tips & Tidbits &
The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays as well.

A Grateful Memorial Day

This post from 2011 is worth repeating.

Memorial Day is a somber & grateful day to show our appreciation for all those who have fought to defend America's liberty & way of life.

It should not be called a "Happy Memorial Day" celebration,
but one of deep respect & remembrance of those who died, fighting for their country.

As our nation pauses, amid the barbecue picnics & the games,
let us give thanks to the more than 1 million men & women who have given their lives so that we may remain free.

2008 Memorial Day Poster
 (Poster created by Virginia Reyes; U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr.)

My ancestors fought in both the Revolutionary War & the Civil War.

 My father served his country in the Army during WWII & never spoke a word about it. 

My husband & both of his brothers enlisted in the Navy to fight in that same war.

 My oldest brother made a lifetime career of serving his country in the Air Force. 

My second oldest brother served in the Air Force in Vietnam, helping to rescue the wounded via helicopter. 

My sister's 4 sons were all Marines at one time, like their father before them.

I can remember when my Mom had 4 Blue Stars showing in her kitchen window, to mark the 4 members of our family that were all serving in some capacity of the military at the same time.

We'll be watching my 3 grandchildren march in our local Memorial Day parade tomorrow.

 The oldest is in the high school band & will play at both the nearby cemetery as well as the flag raising ceremony on the green. 

The middle grandson & his dad will be marching with his Boy Scout troop. 

Sweet little Ms. C. will be riding on her Girl Scout troop's float. 

We'll be sitting in the shade, waving flags & clapping for all of them.
                                       

I hope you have a GRATEFUL Memorial Day, no matter where you'll be.
Make sure to Honor the people that this day represents.

fondly,
Rett

I'm linking up to The Tablescaper's
"Seasonal Sundays"

Remembering Our Fallen Soldiers

While we decorate the house & prepare to honor the men & women of our country, who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces, we cannot help but mourn the loss of lives in the Oklahoma & Texas tornadoes, too. 

My heart aches for them & the pain & suffering they are enduring. 
Words escape me & so I'll just be quiet & share
what we've done so far in preparation & anticipation of Memorial Day.





     
















Oneida's white Wicker dishes, La Rochere French bee glassware, Horchow French bee flatware.




The desserts, seen below, are from last year's celebration. I never posted those holiday photos, as DH had surgery the next day on his eye. 

I'll make similar dessert a little closer to Monday's Memorial Day gathering.



Printable recipe for blueberry pie HERE:









 Big, juicy fresh strawberries, dipped in white chocolate then into blue sugar makes a very easy & patriotic dessert.

 



Thank you for our veterans who gave their lives defending and upholding the freedom of the United States of America.
 
Thank you for their willingness to risk everything & may they find the honor, recognition, and peace they deserve. 

Thank you for stopping by The Gazebo House.

I am joining Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish as well as
Susan for Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday & Michael Lee at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday & The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays &
Yvonne at StoneGable for On The Menu Monday. 
  

Prayers for OK Tornado Victims

 

We call on Him in this moment of need as we pray for the thousands of people

 whose lives have been permanently altered by the devastation 

caused by storms across Oklahoma yesterday & again today.

It is through Your work, Lord, that brothers and sisters will come to their aide, 

bringing help, healing and hope. 

Father, hear our prayers for the injured & traumatized.

Grant that they may find your Peace & comfort.

 We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ.

AMEN 

p.s.  An extra special request that you watch over

my dear blogging friend, Cherry Kay at

Entertaining Women, since she lives in OK.

EDIT: Cherry Kay & her family are safe!

PTL!  

Lemon Supreme Pie

I L♥♥♥VE Lemon!  

Anything Lemon...like Lemon Meringue Pie or Chicken with Lemon, or Lemon Pull-Aparts or Lemon Candy Drops in my tea.

  For years & years, it was tradition, that when visiting my baby sis in AZ, she would pick up a Marie Callender's Lemon Cheesecake Pie for dessert on the way home from getting us at the airport.  

Once, when two of my other sisters went to visit her without me, they carried a pie home on the airplane, just for me!!!!  I'll never forget that wonderfully thoughtful gesture.  I couldn't believe it & it makes me smile to this day, just thinking about it!

We don't have ANY Marie Callender's in Ohio...believe me, I've checked.  Maybe that's a good thing, too.

However, I recently discovered that we DO have a new O'Charley's that has opened up, not too far away.  

I brought home one of their *Lemon Supreme Pies* for Mothers Day dessert. You can see that tablescape HERE. It tastes very much like Marie Callender's, except hers is in a graham cracker crust!  Yipee!!  

Now I can enjoy this delicious treat anytime we have company.  I don't dare buy it for just the two of us.  If you would like to make it at home yourself, here is the recipe:

For Printable Recipe, click HERE and you can watch it being made on this Youtube video:

I'm linking to Micheal Lee's at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday as well as The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays & Yvonne at StoneGable for her On The Menu Monday party.  
Go visit these lovely ladies for some wonderful recipes.

Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House  today.
  
Life is short!  Never pass up a good dessert...

how do you think those ladies on the Titanic felt, after they'd said 'no thank you' to dessert?

Mothers Day Table

 Like many other Mothers, I prefer to eat at home on this day rather than fight the crowds & pay exorbitant prices for mediocre food & less than stellar service.

My wonderfully thoughtful daughter made me a delicious ham & cheese quiche the day before so I wouldn't have to cook.  Wasn't that the sweetest gesture?  



 I had my DD & family come here for dessert & punch later in the evening.  I wanted an excuse to use my newest milkglass items!

My older sister, Fritzie, prior to her knee surgery, bought me this lovely punch bowl with eight cups, all in perfect condition.

(I'm on the hunt for a nice ladle instead of the ironstone one that I used with it this time.)



 You can see the grape cluster design on the sides of the items and not a chip or a crack anywhere...that is rare!


  
My younger sister, Ruth E., sent me several sets of these darling vintage snack plates with matching cups...all adorned with beautiful RED ROSES.  

Our Mother had given them to her almost 30 years ago.  I found two more sets on Ebay that match, so now I have enough for a party of 24!!  I see many bridal & baby showers & maybe even some graduation parties with these in the future.



 They are called "Rosecrest" Patio Snack Sets & were made by the Federal Glass Company in Columbus, OH.






 Of course, you KNOW I had to have Ms. C's favorite candy on the table.  I have 2 of these *quilted* looking milkglass dishes & just recently passed on buying a third.  Now I'm kicking myself, because 3 of anything looks so cute together.  I hope I see another one soon.  My "tip" for Yvonne's Tutorials, Tips & Tidbits party is "Buy it when you see it!  It might not be there when you go back!"



 I found this mini red rose plant & fully intended to remove the foil & get it tucked down inside the milkglass compote (same grape cluster design as the punch bowl) before the company arrived.  They surprised me & I didn't get it finished.  Oh well...the splash of red foil just added to the fun of the table.






I made four of the napkins, shown below, last year.  I used them out in the Gazebo here along with the quilted runner under the punch bowl.  They go beautifully with the cherry placemats that I found at Tuesday Morning awhile ago.


 

I need to make four more!  I had to alternate plain white hemstitched napkins, all held with red satin wrapped rings.



 The RED flatware is from Target & has a much nicer weight to it than the BLUE ones I bought at Walmart.  I hope Target has some other fun colors this year.





 We enjoyed Lemon Supreme Pie from O'Charley's restaurant & I have to say, it was D-E-E-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!  You know how much I looooove lemon.

  It is almost identical to the Marie Callender ones that I love so much & could only get when I visited Ruth E. in AZ.  We don't have a Marie Callender near us in OH...Thank God!!!



I have a knock off/copy cat recipe for this pie that I'll share with you on Friday, so be sure to stop back then.

Oh & the NEXT time I used these cherry placemats, I'm going to make THESE instead: 




Tuesday Morning has these mini dessert dishes, 12 with spoons for only $9.99!  I bought two sets so I can use them for parties.  I have a million ideas for how to put these to use.  Just wait & see!



Aren't they cute??  They will be perfect for sorbet between courses or even individual shrimp cocktail appetizers.

I'm linking to Marty's Inspire Me meme &
 Cuisine Kathleen's party Wednesday for Let's Dish as well as
Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday &
The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays.

I hope you'll visit each of them to see some pretty tables.
Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House, where life it slowly returning to normal. (whatever THAT is!)