The Blackberry Vine: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Blue, White & Green Easter - 2013

Happy Easter Everyone!

After a powerful Easter service, we had fellowship with many of our dear friends.

Nineteen of us came together to celebrate Christ's resurrection and his everlasting promise of hope.

How grateful I am for these friends!

Our cup truly overfloweth!

Also, I can't go any further with out expressing my gratitude to "The Enabler."

I honestly thought about calling this post "An Open Thank You to Cherry Kay."

She is my MIL and has blessed me with many of the lovely items on this table.

I had such fun putting it all together and have her to thank.

Thank you Cherry Kay. I love you.

Simple ramekins held the Easter eggs that served as placecards.

The blue Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage plates served as dessert plates and were removed before the meal.

Today's place setting...

Spode Savoy dinner plate,

Johnson Brothers Sovereign Chop Plate,

and, as always, Mrs. McGee's Gorham Chantilly graced the table.

The blue, green and white looked so fresh on the table. The Waterford Simply Lime wine hocks paired with the Waterford Pallas iced beverage glasses completed the look.

Happy Easter y'all!

Smiles!

For some real table inspiration check out

my MIL's blog Entertaining Women and

Between Naps on the Porch.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Glam Cake

I had the privilege of making a birthday cake and the cake pop party favors for the sweetest girl.

She was having a Hollywood movie party so we went for the "glam" side of Hollywood.

Don't the ribbons on the cake pops look great with the cake?

Her colors were red, black & white.

Close up of the back of the cake. This is one of my favorite photos of the design.

Party favor cake pops.

Happy Birthday sweet Sophia!!

You are a beautiful girl, inside and out!

(Just like your momma!)

Smiles!!

I'm going to share this party cake with some of the parties found on my sidebar.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

I was searching my blog trying to find the pictures from last year's Easter table when I realized I had never posted it! Wah?!? So here it is. (It's killing me that the knife is askew right there...oh well, that's how it is over here...askew!)

The Spode Mayflower plates were a gift from my MIL or as I call her "the Enabler." She keeps me in dishes and I absolutely adore that about her!!! Check out all of her pretties HERE.

The charger is one I picked up from Hobby Lobby and simply painted with a metallic green paint. To make your own, check out my TUTORIAL.

These sweet little bunnies were also picked up at Hobby Lobby. They hold some vintage cotton napkins that I picked up at an estate sale with...wait for it...yes, The Enabler. (She's so good! She has a gift for finding amazing deals at estate sales and on Ebay!)

Check out the glassware. The wine hocks are Waterford Simply Lime and Waterford Simply Pink. Again, my MIL introduced me to these and I began collecting them years ago when they were way more affordable. Life go in the way and I'm short 4 hocks in the Simply Pink. Now they seem a little too frivolous for me to buy for myself. The other glass was a gift from, yes again, my MIL. She picked them up at the VERY END of that same estate sale when she went to pick up an item she left a bid on. I think they're called optic glass. Aren't the green stems gorgeous! If you have more information on them, please share.

Let's see, what else is on that table. The cute bunnies on either side of the roses were also a gift from my MIL. She said they looked like something I would like...she really is the best, isn't she? The roses were from my garden. The silver is my Gorham Chantilly. My dear Mrs. McGee gave it to me when she knew she was dying. She had no children and wanted me to have it. My mom and brother have also helped me collect more pieces.

We set the kid's up in the kitchen. Nothing too fancy. The pink Ralph Lauren cotton tablecloth came from TJ Maxx years ago as did they green Ralph Lauren napkins. The little bunnies were Hobby Lobby finds. The roses are in a Waterford Rose Bowl that was a wedding gift.

The silver charger plates from Hobby Lobby are holding my Haviland Marseille luncheon plates. Just needed to keep it simple for those kids. The glassware is Ralph Lauren something something. The pattern name escapes me. Let me know if you know what it is. I think they're beautiful, but the rims nick and chip at the drop of a hat.

Now, here's our Easter buffet...

Green Chile Casserole Recipe HERE

Buttermilk Biscuits and Oven Roasted Home Fries

Creamy Baked Macaroni & Cheese Recipe HERE

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Feta & Sugared Almonds

My Favorite! Roasted Asparagus! Yum!

We also had fresh fruit, sweet baby peas and the most delicious honey smoked ham from Rudy's.

Dessert was the Over-the-Top Carrot Cake.

We're doing it again this year and we can't wait!

Maybe I'll get this year's meal and table posted a little earlier than last year!

What's always on your Easter menu?

Partying with my friends in the side bar.

and

Between Naps on the Porch

Smiles!

Creamy Baked Macaroni & Cheese

(I know, not the best photo...maybe I'll get a better one this year.)

I LOVE macaroni & cheese. Baked, custardy, gooey, creamy and yes, I even like the Kraft variety.

When it comes to my boys, it's either Kraft (please don't judge,) or this next recipe.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Creamy Baked Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1 can Cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

12 oz package of elbow macaroni, cooked

20 Ritz crackers, crushed

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Lightly grease an 11" x 7" baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook cheeses, milk & soup over medium heat. Stir constantly. When smooth, stir in macaroni.

Pour macaroni and cheese into prepared pan.

Mix crackers and butter together. Sprinkle over macaroni and cheese.

(At this point, you can refrigerate until ready to bake.)

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy!!

Sharing this yummy recipe with some of the fun parties found in the sidebar =>

Smiles!!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

You're a Good Egg

Our teachers will find these little treats in their boxes today.

It's not much, but just a little something saying "thank you."

They do so much for our kids with so little recognition.

Our hospitality budget gets smaller every year as PTA says most funds should go towards things that are beneficial to all students...programs, technology, etc. I agree the kids need all of those things, but I argue that taking care of the teachers is also beneficial to the students. A happy teacher is a happy classroom. We'll leave this topic for another day so.....

Our budget friendly little token of thanks was simply a mini twix bar, wrapped in a thank you note and stuffed in a plastic egg with paper grass. On the outside I wrote, "You're a GOOD egg!"

What are some budget friendly ideas your PTA does to say thanks to your teachers and staff?

(As always, sharing this with the parties found in my sidebar.)

Smiles!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Tuesday To Do Party #105

Hey y'all!

Weird things are happening over here with last week's party.

I can't see the link-ups!

As I try to get it figured out, let's see if it was a one time glitch or if I have more major (BLOG) problems.

This week, instead of copying and pasting "da rules" from an old party (ain't nobody got time for that!) I'm just going to say,

HAVE FUN!!!

Oh, and it would be a nice thing if you followed me on google and on facebook.

That's it! Now let's see what you've been working on this week:

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Here's another family favorite! I believe it came from a Southern Living recipe. They have a lower calorie/fat version as well. Of course I say, why mess with perfection?

CREAM CHEESE BANANA BREAD

¾ cup butter, softened

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium)

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients, gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8” x 4” loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

(Also can make as 24 muffins…bake 25 minutes.)

Can add an additional 1 cup chopped pecans evenly over batter in pans before baking. After baking the bread, you can add a glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice and 1 tsp orange zest.

Makes 2 loaves

Prep 15 minutes Bake 1 hour Cool 40 minutes

Enjoy!!!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION

Will share this recipe with friends at the parties found in the sidebar =>

Green Chile Breakfast Casserole

This has become our family's go to breakfast casserole...especially if my brothers are visiting. They LOVE it! I love it because it's easy to make ahead.

Green Chile Breakfast Casserole

1 lb ground pork sausage, cooked & drained

1 package of whole wheat English muffins split, buttered & quartered

12 oz of freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

10 oz of freshly shredded Monterey jack cheese

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups low-fat sour cream

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

7 oz can chopped green chilies, drained

Grease a 9" x 13" casserole dish with butter or non-stick spray. Arrange English muffin quarters evenly on bottom of pan. Layer half of the sausage & cheese over the muffins.

With a whisk, combine the eggs, sour cream, tabasco & chilies in a large bowl. Pour egg mixture over the sausage and cheese. Top with remaining sausage and cheese. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

If you can, let it sit out a 1/2 hour or so prior to baking. It's not necessary, but I always like to let refrigerated items warm a bit before sticking them in the oven.

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION

I'm sharing this yummy recipe with the fun parties found in my sidebar =>

Lego Ninjago Party

First, we sent out the invitations.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

CLICK HERE to order your own.

Because of all that was going on in our lives, I took a leap of faith and had the party at an off-site location. I tell you what, God is good. It was one of our best parties EVER. Master Heckles at Sidekicks Martial Arts did an amazing job hosting the event which included lots of fun activities for the kids! I have no reservations whatsover with recommending them for your next party.

Here is the birthday boy jumping over his brother to break a board all of the guests signed.

He has never taken a martial arts class, but has always wanted to. Master Heckles made sure he and the rest of the ninjas has a full martial arts experience.

(Oh, and I made really cute ninja masks for all of the kiddos. They wore them for about one minute. It was making them too warm with all of the running around! I didn't even get a picture of them! More about why I didn't take many pictures at the end of this post.)

Sidekicks took care of the food...Joe's Pizza was a hit!

Here's the Lego Ninjago Cake I made.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL POST.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ANOTHER NINJAGO CAKE I CREATED.

Cutting the cake with a ninja sword.

You can tell by their faces they loved this!!!

(Thanks to my MIL for catching this great shot!)

Of course we had party favors.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL POST.

Inside was a Chinese yo-yo, chinese handcuffs & custome fortune cookies.

These were one of my favorite party details!

I found this company, KC Fortune Cookies.

They make the custom fortunes at a very affordable price.

I already have plans to use them for a future event.

Remember how I said I didn't take too many photos?

Well, I was a little busy loving on my precious little niece.

She was wearing a cute little ninja outfit

. It even had the chinese symbols for "I love my Aunt Jami" on the front.

Impressive, right?!?

Hope you enjoyed our party.

A list of my resources is listed below.

Invitations - The Blackberry Vine at Etsy

Party Venue - Sidekicks, Little Elm

Pizza - Provided by Sidekicks thru Joe's Pizza

Lego Ninjago Cake - The Blackberry Vine

Take out boxes, Chinese Yo-Yos & handcuffs - Oriental Trading Company

Custom Fortune Cookies - KC Fortune Cookie

Baby Ninja - KC Clifford (she also makes a pretty good CD, too!)

Smiles!!!

Will share our Lego Ninjago Party at some of the parties on the sidebar!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Tuesday To Do #104 and #103 List Makers

Happy Tuesday To Do, Y'all!!

Hope your week is off to a great start!

We've been working on the To Do List around here...there is always something.

Might as well add to it...check out the List Makers:

The Painted Hive shared a great tutorial for tea towel pillows...so cute!

Hot Cross Buns recipe from Butter & Jam is definitely on my To Do List!

Gorgeous spring floral arrangement by Mod Vintage Life has me ready for Easter.

If you were on this week's To Do List, then please feel free to grab a LIST MAKER button:

TUESDAY TO DO
FEATURED BUTTON

Now on the the party...

Link up your creations! Sewing, crafting, cooking, tips, photography, tablescapes, parties, scrapbooking, collectibles...it all works. Please save your items for sell, your giveaways and your own parties for those specific blog parties. You're the best!

BEFORE you link up, please make sure you've done the following:

1. Become a follower of The Blackberry Vine.

2. Like The Blackberry Vine on Facebook.

3. Grab the TUESDAY TO DO BUTTON from the sidebar, and link back to the Blackberry Vine. (Yes, it can be a little time-consuming, but it's the sweet blogger thing to do!)

4. Read the full disclosure policy at the bottom...when I delete your post, I'm not being mean, I'm just showing you some tough bloggy love.

WHEN you link up, link directly to your post, not just to your blog.

AFTER you link up:

Please visit other participants and leave them some comment love. Comment, comment, comment!!!

Invite someone to the party! The more the merrier!!! If I visit a blog post and see that YOU invited them to the party, your post may end up a feature on Facebook! (I can't get to every post every week, but I really try! The more you invite, the more likely your post will be a Facebook feature!)

I reserve the right to remove posts that are not in keeping with the spirit of Tuesday To-Do including but not limited to those that link to your shop, your giveaway or your linky party, and those that do not link back to the Blackberry Vine. Thanks for playing fair!!