Lunch on the Patio...and...Merci!

Happy 4th of July, eveyone! The weather has finally cooled down a bit here, so I am having a light lunch on the patio before the big cookout tonight. I have set the table using some thrifting finds and bloggy gifts so we can chat. Won’t you join me? I have lots to share!  I have been busy baysitting grandchildren and granddogs, plus getting in a little vacation, so I haven’t been able to hang out in blogland as much as I would like.  I hope you'll forgive me! First order of business is to say Merci! to some wonderful blogging buddies!


A large part of my tablescape today came from some very sweet and generous bloggers! The beautiful table runner in all of my favorite colors and the gorgeous red transferware plates from England were gifts from Dawn at Cottage State of Mind! I was lucky enough to win her 200th post giveaway…along with 22 other people! Can you believe it?


Sweet Dawn generously decided to give a gift to each of us who commented on her giveaway post. She claims that she is cleaning out her attic, but I don’t believe her! The gifts are just too fabulous! She told me that she also has a set of the plates, so now we are twins! And would you look at the card! If you know me, you know that I adore mice wearing clothes (weird, I know)…and there they are! She wrote the sweetest note inside that made me cry!


The pretty oil/vinegar dispenser is a gift from my friend Carol from the old Rate My Space and Micasa Style days. Isn’t it elegant? The pewter matches my flatware, too. You must know that another weakness of mine is roosters…so frenchy! But the best gift was an invitation! Our Carol invited a group of us to spend 5 days at her wonderful beach house on the North Carolina coast! It was fabulous!


The sweet little bluebird plate was a gift from another one of the guests…Barb from Grits and Glamour! We actually met in person about a year ago, so it was fun to see her again! She is one busy bee and misses blogging and all of you. I have a feeling that she may be back soon. She invited us to her lovely home nearby and treated us to hors d’oeuvres…yummy! Her house is even more beautiful in person and it was fun to be a tourist…spotting places that I had seen in her posts! I also got to meet her wonderful family…a real treat!


Another guest for our beachy blogger weekend was Kathysue at Good Life of Design who gave us each a great monogrammed Lands End tote…which will really come in handy for my baby/dog sitting! Isn’t it stylish? She made sure that each one matched the colors in our homes! lol Kathysue has such a great sense of humor and kept us all in stitches! I was lucky enough to get the chance to meet her in person when I met Barb a year ago. The three of us, along with our hostess Carol, became  friends on Micasa before its demise.  Several other Micasa friends were unable to make it, but were in our hearts! I will be telling you about our adventures in the next few posts! And I’ll give you a little peek…see the little flower pot man in the background? That’s a little hint of what is to come!


And, of course, I can’t create a post without throwing in some thrifting finds! lol I love to eat on the patio, but creating a centerpiece around an umbrella pole isn’t easy! I found this great two piece votive holder at Goodwill for $2.52…but minus the votives. Soooo…I decided to use some punch cups that I found on a previous GW hunting expedition instead!


I love it! I think the punch cups transform the centerpiece into something special. And…of course…the cups have grapes on them…another favorite of mine!


I also wanted to give you a little update on my shabby picnic basket planter that you see in the background. The begonias are thriving, as you can see! I think it has turned out to be a keeper!

And there you have it… lunch on the patio! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend celebrating our country's freedom!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Please visit these wonderful ladies and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Treasures
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
See you next time! A la prochaine!