STONEGABLE BENEDICT BREAKFAST ON THE BACK PORCH

There are just those perfect mornings that are made for breakfast al fresco... and this was one of them!

I set a tray with black and white Rooster dishes and fresh picked blooms from my garden. This morning StoneGable Benedict, a take-off of Eggs Benedict, was on the menu! I never make Eggs Benedict because they are so time sensitive and just a little hard for me to deal with first thing in the morning.  So I came up with an easier, less fussy version. Stop by StoneGable on Friday for the recipe and some tips to making this classic egg dish... with a twist!

As I headed out the door I tucked a couple of my favorite home and garden books under my arm to read...

A WARM WELCOME~ SILVER TRAY CHALKBOARD

I am beginning to tidy up the guest room for one very special guest! Actually, we have been giving our Gable Guest Room a much needed facelift. Now that the major work is done... new floors, freshly painted walls, closets cleaned out, dresser painted..  I am concentrating on some of the details that will make our lovely guest feel welcomed and cared for.

The word picture that comes to mind when preparing a bedroom for a guest is... NEST.  A little sanctuary away from all the cares of the world.  This is the goal... to give our guest a soft place to land and a comfortable and beautiful space for them to relax.

Open the door to the Gable Room and this is what you will see first...

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ WEEK OF JUNE 14, 2012

Hope all of you had a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I'm STILL celebrating, so ...

Here's whats ON THE MENU...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ MOTHER'S DAY 2012

My mother and me

A good woman is hard to find,

 And worth far more than diamonds...

SILVER SPOON GARDEN MARKER

Isn't it a rush to see something you think is fabulous and  say, "I think I could make that"!

The first time I saw silver spoon plant markers I was captivated... and on a mission to make them! I could picture them in my herb garden, peeking out between all the green... adding their class and sass to my parsley and mint!

 I have been gathering silver spoons and butter knives and forks with simple wide handles to create plant markers. The process of the silver hunt was just as rewarding and fun as making my collection into markers. You can't imagine how much inexpensive silver there is out there if you are looking!!!!


So, toss out those ugly plastic markers and bring some bling into you garden!!!

Here is an easy video tutorial to make SILVER SPOON PLANT MARKERS...

SALMON, ASPARAGUS AND BOW TIE PASTA IN A SHERRY CREAM SAUCE

This beautiful pasta dish is full of delicate flavors that would be scrumptious on their own, but together they become a culinary symphony!  

LILACS ON THE PORCH~ A MOTHER'S DAY TABLESCAPE

The Lilacs are blooming here at StoneGable and the air is filled with their perfume! It floats through our open windows and drifts from room to room. I wait all year for just a few days when the lilacs boom and cast their fragrant spell!

My late blooming lilacs are not really late at all. They are right on time! These delicate blooms are the inspiration for a Mother's Day table on the porch...

SUMMER WREATH TUTORIAL

Welcoming guest to our homes begins before we open our door! A beautiful wreath on our front door says, "We have been expecting you... WELCOME"!  It also makes a very good first impression! And first impressions are often lasting ones!

I don't scrimp on a door wreath. Nothing small or demure... I want curb appeal! I want a BIG wreath that offers a big welcome! I want a focal point that will draw peoples eye to it's summer beauty! It must make people want to come inside. I want a design shop wreath without the design shop price!!!!

I can get all that by making a wreath myself. One lush, with summery blooms... and you can too! Here's how...

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ Week Of May 7, 2012

This week I had a biopsy of my thumb nail bed (no worries) so my left hand was a little out of commission! 

I was not able to cook or use my hand very well.

The recipe I planned to make and post could not be done and the silver spoon garden markers did not get finished! What's a blogger to do when her best laid posting plans go awry...  Write about yourself!!! YIKES!

So, I posted  10 RANDOM THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ME yesterday! I didn't want this to be all about me, so I asked my readers to tell me something about them too!

It was AMAZING and soooooo much fun! This has become my favorite post because of all the interesting responses!!!!! I found out some delightful and funny random facts about you!

Here are just a few...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES~ May 6, 2012

Synagogue ruins, Sea Of Galilee, Israel

Dignify those down on their luck:
You'll feel good~ that's what GOD does.


GOD looks after us all, 
Makes us robust with life!

Psalm 41:1~ The Message

10 RANDOM THING TO KNOW ABOUT ME!

 I received quite a few e-mails last week asking to identify the flowers in the planters from last Saturday's post.  I promised I would post them today... so before 10 random things, here the are...

May Tablescapes

May is a beautiful Month! The beginning of the month is filled with soft colors and fragrant flowers! And the month ends with a red, white and true blue holiday! Perfect for creating tablescapes.

It is the best time to dine al fresco, enjoying the warming sun and the lingering daylight.

Here are some of my favorite outdoor tablescape over the last two years of May inspiration...

GUEST ROOM VIGNETTE

I am s-l-o-w-l-y working on the Gable Guest Bedroom at StoneGable.  We are giving it a much needed "spit and polish". Just some overdue changes to keep it fresh and ready for our cherished guests.

The Gable room is one of two guest rooms here at StoneGable. The larger Guest Suite, with it's own bath and back stairs, is home to our adorable niece Courtney right now. Her just-out-of-college job brought her here to our town and she is staying with us.

So right now we are down to one guest bedroom.

I love to tuck our guest into the Gable Room! It's high high ceiling, big window and antique furnishings makes this room feel so snug and comfortable...

ON THE MENU MONDAY WEEK OF APRIL 30, 2012

How do you mark time? We all have our own internal system of marking the passing of a year. 
I mark time by Holidays (birthdays count as holidays)! It must be the first grade teacher in me. Easter has passed and now I am counting down to Mother's Day and Memorial Day! 


I have not yet planned out my Mother's Day celebration. My dear Mother lives in San Antonio and in Lancaster County. She will be home (WHERE SHE BELONGS!) for Mother's Day. I am hoping my children will be as well...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ April 29, 2012

The Earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all it's people belong to HIM!

Psalm 24:1

FRONT PORCH FLOWERS

I look forward to THIS weekend all year! I think about it in the cold and dreary winter months... and as the time approaches the excitement builds!

This is the weekend Bobby and I go flower shopping! We peruse our local greenhouses. I want to hit every Amish greenhouses dotting the countryside!  Bobby is really there to lift and carry... and watch me as I dance down the isles filled with all sorts of plants, lost in a floral frenzy...

EASY PEASY HORS D'OEUVRES

This beautiful plate of hors d'oeuvres took minutes to make an assemble. And doesn't it look yummy!

A  plate like this can be used as hors d'oeuvres or even as part of a meal. It has those scrumptious Mediterranean flavors we all love!

No one will care that you didn't spend hours slaving away in the kitchen when they can nibble on such great savories...

BREAKFAST ON THE BACK PORCH

Today is a beautiful, sunny spring day here at StoneGable. The kind of day made for being outside all day long!

I can't think of a better way to start my day than with breakfast on the back porch....

PILLOW LOVE

Pillows are like jewelry for a home!  And I LOVE bling!

They add color, pattern and texture. They add seasonal panache and warmth. Pillows can change with our moods!  

And they are a mini facelifts for any room...

ON THE MENU

I just got home from a RELAXING girl's weekend on the Chesapeake Bay. What fun to eat lunch on a big sailboat in a beautiful marina! The owner of the boat was kind enough to offer her boat as a setting for a tablescape. You bet I'll be traveling down to the Chesapeake very soon with a big box of dishes.

Don't we all need time to relax? I love to go away. No laundry to call for me, not pets needing my attention, no dusting, no cooking, no responsibilities! I sleep so well when I am away (as long as I have my own pillows!)...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE ~ April 22, 2012

For by GRACE you have been saved by faith. And it is not your own doing, it is a gift of God.

Eph: 2:1     English Standard Version

STONEGABLE'S NEW DESIGN AND A FAVOR REQUEST

Do you like StoneGable's new look! 

When I made the decision to continue blogging I wanted to start with a fresh new look. This time I decided to let a professional handle the design. And I am so glad that I did! 

I researched many blog designer's... looked over their web-sites, perused portfolios and read testimonials. After much investigation, I chose Julie at BLOGGER BOUTIQUE to give StoneGable a facelift. What a great fit!

Let me show you around the new StoneGable...

HERBAL INFUSED WATERS

Elegant and refreshing... there is nothing boring about herbal infused waters.

These satisfying, easy to make waters are and light and oh, so interesting...

POTS d'herbes TABLEAU

One of the very first plants to go into my garden each year are my herbs!  There is something so therapeutic about going into the garden and snipping a big handful of herbs for a bouquet or a meal.

Today's table brings the herbs inside and they become the inspiration for this tablescape.

Sweet pots d'herbes spread their green happiness all over this table!

WHITE DRESSER PAINTING TECHNIQUES

I've caught the "Painted Furniture" bug in a big way! It started with a little round side table and now there is almost no piece of furniture safe from my paintbrush! 

I find myself eyeing up pieces and dreaming about the color I would like to paint them! I have even taken to collecting furniture that I'll someday paint!

The little white dresser that lives in the Gable Guest Room went through a recent paint transformation... here's my painting technique...