The Clock

Yesterday we talked about moving the large clock from the fireplace mantel and replacing it with an Irving Penn photo on paper which I received as a gift a few years ago.  So where did the clock go?

In the tv room.  This is a difficult wall.  It is a large wall and the entertainment center, which I purchased at Crate & Barrel, takes up most of the space.  There is this small area between the entertainment center and the closet door and I can never find anything that really looks good here.  I've tried many different things and nothing really does it for me.  So when I was looking for a place for the clock I decided to try it here.  I like it.

This wall looks barren without anything on it.  The clock blends in well with the rest of the room.  I think I may have at last found the perfect something for this space.

You also see to the right of the picture one of my metal dachshunds.  This was the first I received for my birthday last year.  Last week, I received a second dachshund constructed and fashioned from metal.  He sits behind Herman (that's the name of this fellow.)  I have space for and need one final metal dachshund sculpture and my collection will be complete.  I am told not to go searching since my birthday is a mere 4 months away.  I have been forbidden to buy another metal dachshund.  So, I'll go with it and see what happens on November 4.

Anybody for some Shrimp Salad with Dill?  I was in the mood for it over the weekend and I made the most supreme salad you have ever tasted.  We will talk about that tomorrow and I'll share the recipe.

The Clock

Yesterday we talked about moving the large clock from the fireplace mantel and replacing it with an Irving Penn photo on paper which I received as a gift a few years ago.  So where did the clock go?

In the tv room.  This is a difficult wall.  It is a large wall and the entertainment center, which I purchased at Crate & Barrel, takes up most of the space.  There is this small area between the entertainment center and the closet door and I can never find anything that really looks good here.  I've tried many different things and nothing really does it for me.  So when I was looking for a place for the clock I decided to try it here.  I like it.

This wall looks barren without anything on it.  The clock blends in well with the rest of the room.  I think I may have at last found the perfect something for this space.

You also see to the right of the picture one of my metal dachshunds.  This was the first I received for my birthday last year.  Last week, I received a second dachshund constructed and fashioned from metal.  He sits behind Herman (that's the name of this fellow.)  I have space for and need one final metal dachshund sculpture and my collection will be complete.  I am told not to go searching since my birthday is a mere 4 months away.  I have been forbidden to buy another metal dachshund.  So, I'll go with it and see what happens on November 4.

Anybody for some Shrimp Salad with Dill?  I was in the mood for it over the weekend and I made the most supreme salad you have ever tasted.  We will talk about that tomorrow and I'll share the recipe.

A Change to the Mantel

The weekend was productive, mostly inside.  The temperature started to increase over the weekend and the humidity returned.  I spent no time in the yard or gardens.  I opted to work inside and, I must say, I got quite a lot done.

One of the first things I got done, and one of the most important, was to get the red wine off one of the tub chairs and the carpet and the floor and the wall in the tv room.  You see, I got up during the night to get a drink of water from the refrigerator.  As I was making my way back to the bedroom, I tripped over the Brookstone foot massager, which I had used earlier in the day, and my hand hit a glass which still contained some red wine from the evening, and it went all over the place.  Actually, I just stood there for awhile.  Stunned.  In stunned disbelief.  So, at two a.m., I was using dry cleaner solution on the chair and Dr. Somebody's spray on the area rug and a bottle of wood floor cleaner on the floor and a soapy washcloth to wipe down the wall.  Oh, and the hvac vent.  Naturally it got on that too.  Luckily, if you didn't know it happened you wouldn't know it happened.  Every solution I used did what it was supposed to do.  So, it just proves that it is good to be prepared.  You may think you will never need things like dry cleaning solution or special sprays to spot clean the carpet.  But eventually, we all knock over a glass of red wine at two a.m.

So, we moved on.  I decided to change the look of the mantel.  We went from this.

To this.

I love the clock.  And I love the Irving Penn.  But I thought it was time for a change on the mantel, so I moved the Irving Penn to the mantel and relocated the clock.  A nice change.  Sometimes you just need to make a change.  It doesn't have to be anything big.  Just moving some artwork.  A new lampshade.  Perhaps some fresh covers on the sofa pillows that are more summer-like.  I have done all of these recently and it helps to keep things fresh.

A Change to the Mantel

The weekend was productive, mostly inside.  The temperature started to increase over the weekend and the humidity returned.  I spent no time in the yard or gardens.  I opted to work inside and, I must say, I got quite a lot done.

One of the first things I got done, and one of the most important, was to get the red wine off one of the tub chairs and the carpet and the floor and the wall in the tv room.  You see, I got up during the night to get a drink of water from the refrigerator.  As I was making my way back to the bedroom, I tripped over the Brookstone foot massager, which I had used earlier in the day, and my hand hit a glass which still contained some red wine from the evening, and it went all over the place.  Actually, I just stood there for awhile.  Stunned.  In stunned disbelief.  So, at two a.m., I was using dry cleaner solution on the chair and Dr. Somebody's spray on the area rug and a bottle of wood floor cleaner on the floor and a soapy washcloth to wipe down the wall.  Oh, and the hvac vent.  Naturally it got on that too.  Luckily, if you didn't know it happened you wouldn't know it happened.  Every solution I used did what it was supposed to do.  So, it just proves that it is good to be prepared.  You may think you will never need things like dry cleaning solution or special sprays to spot clean the carpet.  But eventually, we all knock over a glass of red wine at two a.m.

So, we moved on.  I decided to change the look of the mantel.  We went from this.

To this.

I love the clock.  And I love the Irving Penn.  But I thought it was time for a change on the mantel, so I moved the Irving Penn to the mantel and relocated the clock.  A nice change.  Sometimes you just need to make a change.  It doesn't have to be anything big.  Just moving some artwork.  A new lampshade.  Perhaps some fresh covers on the sofa pillows that are more summer-like.  I have done all of these recently and it helps to keep things fresh.

A Propane Generator and Peace of Mind

You will remember last year during our first major summer storm, which was referred to as a "Microburst," and then our second storm, which was referred to as a "Derecho," I posted that I was buying a portable generator for just such calamities.  I did some research and decided that I wanted a generator which ran on propane rather than gasoline.  Of course, generators were in short supply right after both of those storms and remained in short supply throughout the remainder of the year.  Many of the big box stores in the area replenished their supply of generators, but it took quite awhile.  And even after their in-store inventories increased, you could not find the propane generators in the stores.  So today, I have finally taken the bull by the horns and taken care of this problem.



Sportsman 1,350/2,000-Watt Clean Burning LPG Portable Propane Generator


I ordered the above propane generator.  We have already had the power go off once this month.  It was not due to storm damage.  There was a transformer close by that exploded early one Sunday morning about two weeks ago.  I was sound asleep and the noise was such that it woke me up.  And it woke little Baxter as well.  He sat up and starting barking.  The power was off for probably an hour.  But an hour of no power can be a very long hour, especially in the hot summer months.  No air conditioning.  No fan.  Just heat and humidity.  When I was 20 I could take it.  When I was 30 I could bear it.  When I was 40 I could possibly withstand it.  In my mid-50's, I need a portable generator.  If you have reached a point in your life where you are like me, then this may be the generator for you.  At $249.00 and free shipping from Home Depot, it is a very good deal.  The reviews were mostly very positive.  Here is a more informative description for your review:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Sportsman Propane 1,350/2,000-Watt Portable Generator can power common household appliances and power tools. It is equipped with a single 120 volt outlet and a 12 volt DC outlet for battery charging. This recoil start generator can run for 12 hours with a 50% load on 20 lbs of propane fuel. A generator of this size is ideal for small camping or tailgating parties or to have on hand in case you need some temporary power in an emergency situation.It has a 2.4 HP 4-Stroke OHV Recoil Start engine. Its affordable but well thought out with full featured options such as Automatic Low Oil Shutdown and Circuit Protection. It boasts an Engine Run Time of 12 Hours at 50% on a common 20Lb (gas grill type) cylinder (LPG cylinder not included). A 5 foot propane fuel hose with a regulator is included for your added convenience. The engine is surprisingly quiet; it runs at less than 65 Db. This is a great generator for anyone who needs affordable power.Propane has several distinct advantages over gasoline generators. Propane burns cleaner than gas engines. Carbon monoxide emissions run up to 40% lower. Propane will not degrade, so you can keep several propane tanks on hand for emergencies and store them for an unlimited amount of time. Since this generator runs on propane you never have to worry about the fuel going bad or having the carburetor getting fouled due to degenerated gasoline - a common problem with gasoline powered small engines

A Propane Generator and Peace of Mind

You will remember last year during our first major summer storm, which was referred to as a "Microburst," and then our second storm, which was referred to as a "Derecho," I posted that I was buying a portable generator for just such calamities.  I did some research and decided that I wanted a generator which ran on propane rather than gasoline.  Of course, generators were in short supply right after both of those storms and remained in short supply throughout the remainder of the year.  Many of the big box stores in the area replenished their supply of generators, but it took quite awhile.  And even after their in-store inventories increased, you could not find the propane generators in the stores.  So today, I have finally taken the bull by the horns and taken care of this problem.



Sportsman 1,350/2,000-Watt Clean Burning LPG Portable Propane Generator


I ordered the above propane generator.  We have already had the power go off once this month.  It was not due to storm damage.  There was a transformer close by that exploded early one Sunday morning about two weeks ago.  I was sound asleep and the noise was such that it woke me up.  And it woke little Baxter as well.  He sat up and starting barking.  The power was off for probably an hour.  But an hour of no power can be a very long hour, especially in the hot summer months.  No air conditioning.  No fan.  Just heat and humidity.  When I was 20 I could take it.  When I was 30 I could bear it.  When I was 40 I could possibly withstand it.  In my mid-50's, I need a portable generator.  If you have reached a point in your life where you are like me, then this may be the generator for you.  At $249.00 and free shipping from Home Depot, it is a very good deal.  The reviews were mostly very positive.  Here is a more informative description for your review:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Sportsman Propane 1,350/2,000-Watt Portable Generator can power common household appliances and power tools. It is equipped with a single 120 volt outlet and a 12 volt DC outlet for battery charging. This recoil start generator can run for 12 hours with a 50% load on 20 lbs of propane fuel. A generator of this size is ideal for small camping or tailgating parties or to have on hand in case you need some temporary power in an emergency situation.It has a 2.4 HP 4-Stroke OHV Recoil Start engine. Its affordable but well thought out with full featured options such as Automatic Low Oil Shutdown and Circuit Protection. It boasts an Engine Run Time of 12 Hours at 50% on a common 20Lb (gas grill type) cylinder (LPG cylinder not included). A 5 foot propane fuel hose with a regulator is included for your added convenience. The engine is surprisingly quiet; it runs at less than 65 Db. This is a great generator for anyone who needs affordable power.Propane has several distinct advantages over gasoline generators. Propane burns cleaner than gas engines. Carbon monoxide emissions run up to 40% lower. Propane will not degrade, so you can keep several propane tanks on hand for emergencies and store them for an unlimited amount of time. Since this generator runs on propane you never have to worry about the fuel going bad or having the carburetor getting fouled due to degenerated gasoline - a common problem with gasoline powered small engines

A Healthy Lunch and Other Things

Why do I buy lunch when I can make it myself so easily and know that everything is fresh.  Not to mention the money I would save.  This is the question for today.  So, having asked myself this question, I made my lunch salad this morning.

A wonderful summer salad of romaine lettuce, shrimp, tomatoes, onions, peppers, sprouts and olives.  If inclined, you could add a few croutons you made yourself.  Or crumble on some bacon that might have been left over from breakfast.  Baby corn is another of my salad favorites.  Mix it up.  Make it like you want.  I will be picking up some additional salad fixings over the weekend so I can prepare salads with different flavors next week.

I will top this with Catalina dresssing and I threw in a Polly-O string cheese.  I will have a glass of iced tea with lunch.  This is a healthy lunch and one that I know has been prepared with fresh ingredients.  The romaine lettuce was already cut up into salad size pieces.  The other ingredients where in individual containers in the refrigerator.  It was just a matter of removing these items from the refrigerator and placing them in a salad bowl.  I found this little "rubbery" salad dressing holder at Giant.  It holds a goodly amount of dressing.  I put this whole thing together in under two minutes.  Let's all strive to prepare lunch ourselves and eat healthier.

______________________________

On a separate note, I have a couple more items I would like to share with you from my trip to Sur La Table last Friday.

First up, Boos Block.

Just as the picture says, this is for use on your cutting boards.  I have two wooden cutting boards; a small one for everyday use or little jobs and a large one for when I am preparing for guests.  They were both in dire need of some attention, so I decided to try this board cream.  I was very happy with how it brought the boards back to life.  You simply squeeze a small bead on the board and work it in with your hand.  Once you are done, let it sit overnight and the next day remove the excess with a dry paper towel and your cutting boards will be as good as new.  Maybe even better than new.

The other item is "Plink."  I have long been a fan of Plink balls.  I had not, however, seen an assorted pack like this.  Here we have a value pack of 20 orange, lemon and lavendar scented balls.  They are easy to use.  You run some water into the drain, then reduce the water, turn on the disposal and drink in a Plink.  After a few seconds you have a clean and nice smelling garbage disposal.  Other ways to keep the disposal smelling fresh is to quarter a lemon or lime and drop each quarter in individually until you no longer hear the disposal chopping.  Then turn both the water and disposal off.  I also drop ice cubes into a running disposal every now and then to keep the blades sharp.  They also help to break up grease build-up which may have accumulated.

I decided to store the Plink balls in a Ziploc bag in a tray inside the cabinet door, under the sink.  This works very well.  Sometimes it can be difficult to remove the Plink from the container they come in.  They just roll around and mock you each time you try to remove them.  I prefer to store items in my own containers rather than leaving them in the store containers, so that is what I did with Plink.

A Healthy Lunch and Other Things

Why do I buy lunch when I can make it myself so easily and know that everything is fresh.  Not to mention the money I would save.  This is the question for today.  So, having asked myself this question, I made my lunch salad this morning.

A wonderful summer salad of romaine lettuce, shrimp, tomatoes, onions, peppers, sprouts and olives.  If inclined, you could add a few croutons you made yourself.  Or crumble on some bacon that might have been left over from breakfast.  Baby corn is another of my salad favorites.  Mix it up.  Make it like you want.  I will be picking up some additional salad fixings over the weekend so I can prepare salads with different flavors next week.

I will top this with Catalina dresssing and I threw in a Polly-O string cheese.  I will have a glass of iced tea with lunch.  This is a healthy lunch and one that I know has been prepared with fresh ingredients.  The romaine lettuce was already cut up into salad size pieces.  The other ingredients where in individual containers in the refrigerator.  It was just a matter of removing these items from the refrigerator and placing them in a salad bowl.  I found this little "rubbery" salad dressing holder at Giant.  It holds a goodly amount of dressing.  I put this whole thing together in under two minutes.  Let's all strive to prepare lunch ourselves and eat healthier.

______________________________

On a separate note, I have a couple more items I would like to share with you from my trip to Sur La Table last Friday.

First up, Boos Block.

Just as the picture says, this is for use on your cutting boards.  I have two wooden cutting boards; a small one for everyday use or little jobs and a large one for when I am preparing for guests.  They were both in dire need of some attention, so I decided to try this board cream.  I was very happy with how it brought the boards back to life.  You simply squeeze a small bead on the board and work it in with your hand.  Once you are done, let it sit overnight and the next day remove the excess with a dry paper towel and your cutting boards will be as good as new.  Maybe even better than new.

The other item is "Plink."  I have long been a fan of Plink balls.  I had not, however, seen an assorted pack like this.  Here we have a value pack of 20 orange, lemon and lavendar scented balls.  They are easy to use.  You run some water into the drain, then reduce the water, turn on the disposal and drink in a Plink.  After a few seconds you have a clean and nice smelling garbage disposal.  Other ways to keep the disposal smelling fresh is to quarter a lemon or lime and drop each quarter in individually until you no longer hear the disposal chopping.  Then turn both the water and disposal off.  I also drop ice cubes into a running disposal every now and then to keep the blades sharp.  They also help to break up grease build-up which may have accumulated.

I decided to store the Plink balls in a Ziploc bag in a tray inside the cabinet door, under the sink.  This works very well.  Sometimes it can be difficult to remove the Plink from the container they come in.  They just roll around and mock you each time you try to remove them.  I prefer to store items in my own containers rather than leaving them in the store containers, so that is what I did with Plink.

A Surprise Package

I received a package yesterday.  On the front porch, beside one of the planters, I found a box.  I could not remember ordering anything recently, but sometimes packages show up at Crest Avenue with something I ordered and forgot about or from a company who has received a glowing review on Welcome to Crest Avenue.  Sometimes I receive packages that were meant to be delivered to a neighbor and I always set off immediately to get it to its rightful owner.  When I checked the label on the box it was clear that it was for me.

And from One Kings Lane.  Everybody likes to receive a box from One Kings Lane.  I love their byline - design is never done.  True.  So when I opened it, what did I find?

This adorable little dachshund fashioned from metal.  Too cute for words.  It is called the Patriotic Dachshund.  The little saddle on his back is separate, so it can be removed.  I received another dachshund figure this year made from metal and stones.  The stones make up the body of the previous gift.  In addition to this cute little fellow, there was a book in the Box entitled, "25 Reasons We Love Summer."

This is a very interesting little book which reminds us of many different things to be happy about in the summertime.  Things such as:

Of these few that I share with you here, I have fond memories of playing croquet in our yard at home during the spring and summer months.  What an enchanting book.

Now we get to who sent this package.  My sister!  As I was making my way through the box I found the invoice and it had her name as the sender.  And my birthday is still four months away!!!  So thanks go out to my sister, Gwen, for sending this wonderful gift box.  I will have to wait until next week to call her.  She is currently at summer camp with my nephew somewhere in the wilds of Virginia.  My mother told me on the phone earlier this week that wherever they are, there is no cellphone reception.  How marvelous to find a spot on this earth where there is no cellphone reception!!!  I think I'll go to summer camp next year.

A Surprise Package

I received a package yesterday.  On the front porch, beside one of the planters, I found a box.  I could not remember ordering anything recently, but sometimes packages show up at Crest Avenue with something I ordered and forgot about or from a company who has received a glowing review on Welcome to Crest Avenue.  Sometimes I receive packages that were meant to be delivered to a neighbor and I always set off immediately to get it to its rightful owner.  When I checked the label on the box it was clear that it was for me.

And from One Kings Lane.  Everybody likes to receive a box from One Kings Lane.  I love their byline - design is never done.  True.  So when I opened it, what did I find?

This adorable little dachshund fashioned from metal.  Too cute for words.  It is called the Patriotic Dachshund.  The little saddle on his back is separate, so it can be removed.  I received another dachshund figure this year made from metal and stones.  The stones make up the body of the previous gift.  In addition to this cute little fellow, there was a book in the Box entitled, "25 Reasons We Love Summer."

This is a very interesting little book which reminds us of many different things to be happy about in the summertime.  Things such as:

Of these few that I share with you here, I have fond memories of playing croquet in our yard at home during the spring and summer months.  What an enchanting book.

Now we get to who sent this package.  My sister!  As I was making my way through the box I found the invoice and it had her name as the sender.  And my birthday is still four months away!!!  So thanks go out to my sister, Gwen, for sending this wonderful gift box.  I will have to wait until next week to call her.  She is currently at summer camp with my nephew somewhere in the wilds of Virginia.  My mother told me on the phone earlier this week that wherever they are, there is no cellphone reception.  How marvelous to find a spot on this earth where there is no cellphone reception!!!  I think I'll go to summer camp next year.

A trip to Sur La Table

If you are reading this blog, then you are, no doubt, a fan of Sur La Table.  I am.  Last year for Christmas I was the lucky recipient of a gift card to this establishment.  So last Friday, while Bev was in town, we visited their store on Wisconsin Avenue in Upper Northwest Washington.  It did not take long to spend the $100 on the gift card and add an additional $58 of my own money.  I found some very useful things for the kitchen and around the house.  Today I will share a couple of these items with you.

First up, melon ballers.  I had one for many years and I cannot remember what I was using it for, but one day it broke.  The little scoop part broke off.  Honestly, I think I was using it for something other than making melon balls.  I can't imagine any melon at any stage of ripeness destroying a melon baller.  In any case, it broke and I did not immediately replace.  On Friday, I took care of that and then some.  I was so glad to find this assortment.  The large one is great for use on melons.  The smaller one in the middle is handy when scooping cherry or grape tomatoes.  I have a wonderful recipe for cherry or grape tomatoes filled with salmon mousse.  The large melon baller was always too large to use on these tomatoes.  The smaller one will be perfect.  And finally the small serated scoop.  I have not used one of these, so I am anxious to see what we get.  Should be interesting.

Another handy item I found was this silver cleaning and polishing cloth.  Silver maintenace can be a time consuming chore.  It can also be a very messy chore.  I decided to give this dry cloth a try.  The silver tray in yesterdays post with the votives was the first piece to receive this treatment.  I was pleased with how it turned out.  It removed the tarnish and cleaned the tray well.  I want to spend some more time with this on some of my other silver pieces to get a better understanding of how it works.  I like the fact that it is not messy like most silver polishes.  And I like the fact that it does not have some horrendous odor like some liquid silver cleaning solutions.  We'll talk more about this after I've had a chance to use it some more.

A trip to Sur La Table

If you are reading this blog, then you are, no doubt, a fan of Sur La Table.  I am.  Last year for Christmas I was the lucky recipient of a gift card to this establishment.  So last Friday, while Bev was in town, we visited their store on Wisconsin Avenue in Upper Northwest Washington.  It did not take long to spend the $100 on the gift card and add an additional $58 of my own money.  I found some very useful things for the kitchen and around the house.  Today I will share a couple of these items with you.

First up, melon ballers.  I had one for many years and I cannot remember what I was using it for, but one day it broke.  The little scoop part broke off.  Honestly, I think I was using it for something other than making melon balls.  I can't imagine any melon at any stage of ripeness destroying a melon baller.  In any case, it broke and I did not immediately replace.  On Friday, I took care of that and then some.  I was so glad to find this assortment.  The large one is great for use on melons.  The smaller one in the middle is handy when scooping cherry or grape tomatoes.  I have a wonderful recipe for cherry or grape tomatoes filled with salmon mousse.  The large melon baller was always too large to use on these tomatoes.  The smaller one will be perfect.  And finally the small serated scoop.  I have not used one of these, so I am anxious to see what we get.  Should be interesting.

Another handy item I found was this silver cleaning and polishing cloth.  Silver maintenace can be a time consuming chore.  It can also be a very messy chore.  I decided to give this dry cloth a try.  The silver tray in yesterdays post with the votives was the first piece to receive this treatment.  I was pleased with how it turned out.  It removed the tarnish and cleaned the tray well.  I want to spend some more time with this on some of my other silver pieces to get a better understanding of how it works.  I like the fact that it is not messy like most silver polishes.  And I like the fact that it does not have some horrendous odor like some liquid silver cleaning solutions.  We'll talk more about this after I've had a chance to use it some more.

An Intimate Dinner for Three

Yesterday I mentioned that we had our friend Bev as a guest over this past weekend.  Bev is a Graphic Designer and a gal full of creativity.  We share the same eye in home decor, gardening and food which, I believe, is part of why we are such good friends.  We had a blast while she was here.  On Saturday night I prepared an intimate dinner table for three on the deck.  It was me, Bev and Steven.  Here are a few shots of the evening.

I used these beautiful Tiffany blue and white plates.  Actually, if you are interested, you can find these plates at IKEA.  They have a whole set of dinnerware and serveware in this blue and blue and white color.  The silver tray was a gift from whom - Bev, of course.  It has my initials engraved on the bottom.  I decided to fill it up with these votive holders (again, from IKEA) and add a little ambience to the table.  The wine glasses each have a charm around the base so that as each bottle was finished we would know which glass was ours.

There was the ice bucket;

the strainer; and

the martini shaker.  All three very cute.  I placed each atop the salad plate on top of an embossed cocktail napkin.  Remember, we did these a few weeks ago utilizing the Cuttlebug.

Everyone got a glass of wine and got settled and then it was time to start preparing dinner.  A beautiful plate of asparagus bought fresh from the Cheverly Farmer's Market on Saturday morning.  We grilled this and it was delicious.

We also picked up some fresh Mahi Mahi from the market on Saturday morning.  Here is my plate with the grilled Mahi Mahi, asparagus and a little coleslaw.  Superb combination!!!

Later on, for dessert, we had sliced strawberries and kiwi which were macerated in a little cane sugar and served with a generous helping of fresh whipped cream.  A delicious dinner, . . . and evening!

An Intimate Dinner for Three

Yesterday I mentioned that we had our friend Bev as a guest over this past weekend.  Bev is a Graphic Designer and a gal full of creativity.  We share the same eye in home decor, gardening and food which, I believe, is part of why we are such good friends.  We had a blast while she was here.  On Saturday night I prepared an intimate dinner table for three on the deck.  It was me, Bev and Steven.  Here are a few shots of the evening.

I used these beautiful Tiffany blue and white plates.  Actually, if you are interested, you can find these plates at IKEA.  They have a whole set of dinnerware and serveware in this blue and blue and white color.  The silver tray was a gift from whom - Bev, of course.  It has my initials engraved on the bottom.  I decided to fill it up with these votive holders (again, from IKEA) and add a little ambience to the table.  The wine glasses each have a charm around the base so that as each bottle was finished we would know which glass was ours.

There was the ice bucket;

the strainer; and

the martini shaker.  All three very cute.  I placed each atop the salad plate on top of an embossed cocktail napkin.  Remember, we did these a few weeks ago utilizing the Cuttlebug.

Everyone got a glass of wine and got settled and then it was time to start preparing dinner.  A beautiful plate of asparagus bought fresh from the Cheverly Farmer's Market on Saturday morning.  We grilled this and it was delicious.

We also picked up some fresh Mahi Mahi from the market on Saturday morning.  Here is my plate with the grilled Mahi Mahi, asparagus and a little coleslaw.  Superb combination!!!

Later on, for dessert, we had sliced strawberries and kiwi which were macerated in a little cane sugar and served with a generous helping of fresh whipped cream.  A delicious dinner, . . . and evening!