"Charcuterie" For You and Me

One of our favorite things this summer has been the discovery of making a charcuterie board or tray for various gatherings that we've had, and let me tell you, they have been a hugh hit with everyone!

The definition of charcuterie literally means "ham, sausage, and other sliced meats or the place that sells those meats" and the term "charcuterie board" often refers to an assortment of meats that are paired with different accompaniments, such as toast, fruit, cheese, and sauces.  It has been so fun picking out various meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, chips, dips, sauces, breads, and chocolates for our boards...yes, I said chocolates!  Who wouldn't want a nice piece of fine chocolate after a slice of delicious brie!  It's just a little bit of heaven right there!

We have a gathering at our home monthly, the "Empty Nesters" group from our church. We went to town making our charcuterie board for Sunday night's gathering...



It's great for entertaining and can be made as a complete meal or you can make a smaller appetizer tray if desired, and the best part, no heating of the oven is involved!  We also served 3 types of desserts as well.

There is still plenty of time left this summer to make your charcuterie tray!  As a sidenote, I bought my tray at Pier 1 and it's quite large, but I have seen several medium to smaller ones available.  Home Goods has a great selection.

There is no right or wrong way in putting together a charcuterie board.  The ideas are limitless!



This post is linked to the following parties:
http://diyshowoff.com/category/other/that-diy-party/
Tatertots and Jello

With An "E" or With An "A"

I just heard something very useful on TV, Wheel of Fortune of all places!
We know that the word stationary is spelled either with an "ary" or "ery" depending on how you intend to use the word.  Vanna White gave this useful hint:

Stationary = something that is immobile
Stationery = paper products used in writing and sending personalized mail

Vanna suggested thinking of it this way...

When wanting to remember how to spell stationery in regards to paper products, remember the "e" standing for envelope!  What a great way to remember the difference in spelling!

Happy Valentine's Day

Starting At The Front Door...

Do you decorate your home for the holidays?  I have always enjoyed decorating for each holiday and even tho we are empty nesters now, I still love celebrating and decorating our home, and I like to start at my front door.  I think by decorating your porch and front door, it gives the impression that fun, creative, warm, and welcoming people live inside...

Holiday decorating doesn't have to be expensive, time consuming, or extravagant.  The red hearts in my planters were originally decorative hearts that were meant for hanging.  I purchased dowels, painted them, hot glued the hearts to the dowels, cut them down to size and that's it!  Custom decorations in just minutes!

The nice thing about many of the stores now days is that they put their holiday decorations and supplies on sale early, giving us plenty of time to enjoy them while getting them at a reasonable price.  It really is a win win situation!

Would you believe that I've had a flag pole in the front of my home for over 20 years now too.  I love changing out the flags for the different holidays and seasons.  Years ago decorative flags were more expensive but they are pretty inexpensive now.  I've even picked up brand new ones at thrift stores for $2-3.  Spending such a small amount of money on something that makes me smile is completely worth it to me, and it's fun!

Decorating for the holidays just makes my heart happy, over and over again, year after year.  Hopefully it warms the hearts of my family, friends, and the neighborhood too!






This post is linked to the following parties:
Wow Us Wednesdays #374 - Savvy Southern Style
Thursday's Favorite Things - Katherines Corner
Home Sweet Home #356 - The Charm of Home

It's A New Day...It's A New Life!

I originally started blogging exactly 10 years ago (2/2/08) and I have to say I loved every minute of it!  Numerous friendships were made and to this day I'm still in contact with many of them through Facebook.  Sadly, most no longer blog anymore.  Blogging today is entirely different than it was 10 years ago.  In fact, it appears that not many even use blogger these days.  There are a wide variety of other platforms and hosts to utilize now. I'm a creature of habit and Blogger is my comfort zone so for now this is where I'll stay.

My life has changed in so very many ways in the last 5-6 years, especially since my blogging days.  In some ways it's 100% better yet in other ways sad things have occurred. Life happened but I'm looking forward to catching up, opening up, sharing life, making new friends, and enjoying new blogging adventures ahead!

What a great way to enter February 2018!